They are not as highly represented in Montgomery, Mobile, and Birmingham as in Clio, Brent, and Fort Rucker. They are the minority population by age 19 and at ages 85+ they are downright scarce. And while Connie Francis would still find an overabundance in Orange Beach and Dauphin Island, not as many would be waiting for her in Gulf Shores. Where are Alabama’s boys (and men) these days and why are they not evenly distributed across the Alabama landscape?
More boys are born than girls. Thus, Alabama’s sex ratio (or number of males per 100 females) is 105 at birth. By 19, however, the ratio has dropped to just 98 boys per 100 girls and males will represent a diminishing sector of the population thereafter. Indeed, for those aged 65+ there are only 67 males per 100 females and for ages 85+ just 37.
One 18th century demographer posited a theological explanation. God caused more boys to be born than girls, he said, because more boys will die from dangerous activities. This conveniently evens out the sex ratio at about the time of marriage, where balanced numbers are most critical.
And, true to form, death rates for males in the younger age groups range from 1.6 to 2.8 times higher than those for females. But death rates also remain higher for males throughout the life cycle, yielding a life expectancy in Alabama of 77 for females but only 70 for males. Both biological factors and social factors apparently play a role (more males really do die from accidents, for example). While males have higher death rates than females, women report higher sickness rates. But as women adopt more of the bad habits of men (such as smoking) and move into traditionally male occupations, they will eventually pay the price in higher mortality rates.
Using the 2000 census, we took a look at where the boys are. In Clio, for example, males outnumber females by three to one. Before journeying to this Barbour County town in search of male companionship, however, it is important to remember that Clio is also the setting of Easterling Correctional Facility. For purposes of the census, inmates are counted as residents of the locale where such facilities are located. Other Alabama towns and places posting high male-female differentials include Brent (Bibb County), Redstone Arsenal (Madison County), and Fort Rucker (Dale County). Thus, military towns (in addition to towns with male correctional centers like Brent) have traditionally exhibited a larger number of males than females.
Males exceed females in eight Alabama counties, with Bullock at 110 males per 100 females with the highest ratio. All but one of these eight counties have male correctional facilities. In the tri-county area, only Elmore (site of several male prisons) registered more men than women.
Men seeking romantic adventures might consider McMullen (Pickens County), Wetumpka, Blue Mountain (Calhoun County), or Boligee (Greene County). Sex ratios in these places range from only 54 males per 100 females in McMullen to just 69 in Boligee. Indeed, 423 of Alabama’s 494 incorporated places and census-designated places posted more females than males in the 2000 census. Unless one is searching for older companionship, however, some of these places may not be as attractive as they appear. The presence of nursing homes, for example, often contributes to an unbalanced sex ratio, as do female prisons (like Tutweiler in Wetumpka).
Dallas County, at only 84 males per 100 females, posted the state’s lowest male-female ratio in 2000. Indeed, Black Belt counties typically exhibit the lowest sex ratios in the state. These counties not only contain large minority populations, but also represent the poorest counties in Alabama.
There are other striking variations in the sex ratio across the state, such as the low ratios in the black segment of the population. Black females significantly outnumber black males in all of the youthful age groups, making it more difficult, for example, for females to find a suitable mate. High rates of male incarceration and deaths from AIDS and homicide play a significant role in the imbalance. If white-collar crimes were pursued with the same vigor as crimes committed by the low income, more white, college-educated females would find themselves in the same position.
The ratio of males to females, particularly where there is imbalance, is reflective of larger patterns and concerns in society, indicating differential rates of imprisonment, mortality, and geographic mobility. Indeed, it is important for a number of reasons to know “where the boys are.”