Did Premodern Wars Impact Sex Ratios at Birth? The Case of 19th-Century Basque Country
Marco-Gracia, Francisco J. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Beltrán Tapia, Francisco J. ; Liczbinska, Grazyna
Resumen: Abstract
This study examines the impact of pre-moder wars on sex ratios at birth. Specifically, it investigates whether wars involving premodern weaponry and more limited destruction increased stress for pregnant women such that the resulting hormonal changes in their bodies may have led to a decrease in the ratio of live-born boys to girls. To address this question, we analyzed all baptismal records from the Basque Country during the 19th century, encompassing nearly 1.2 million individuals. Our findings confirm that the First Carlist War (1833–1840) exercised the most significant demographic impact on the region. However, all wars resulted in variations in demographic behavior, reducing in sex ratios at birth by around 1%. This effect is even more pronounced when focusing on the main conflict zones, where sieges and major battles took place, leading to an impact of 3.2%. The effect was not only immediately visible in sex ratios at birth but became particularly evident during the first three months after the events. Furthermore, prolonged battles were found to have the most substantial influence, with an average effect during the three months after the battle of almost 7% on sex ratios at birth. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that premodern wars reduced sex ratios at birth.
Idioma: Inglés
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-025-09496-8
Año: 2025
Publicado en: HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE (2025), [26 pp.]
ISSN: 1045-6767
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2022-138886NB-I00
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/S55-23R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MIU/CAS23-00260
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ-IBERCAJA-CAI/CH2-23
Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)
Área (Departamento): Área Hª e Instituc.Económ. (Dpto. Economía Aplicada)
Debe reconocer adecuadamente la autoría, proporcionar un enlace a la licencia e indicar si se han realizado cambios. Puede hacerlo de cualquier manera razonable, pero no de una manera que sugiera que tiene el apoyo del licenciador o lo recibe por el uso que hace.
0
Exportado de SIDERAL (2025-10-17-14:31:28)
This study examines the impact of pre-moder wars on sex ratios at birth. Specifically, it investigates whether wars involving premodern weaponry and more limited destruction increased stress for pregnant women such that the resulting hormonal changes in their bodies may have led to a decrease in the ratio of live-born boys to girls. To address this question, we analyzed all baptismal records from the Basque Country during the 19th century, encompassing nearly 1.2 million individuals. Our findings confirm that the First Carlist War (1833–1840) exercised the most significant demographic impact on the region. However, all wars resulted in variations in demographic behavior, reducing in sex ratios at birth by around 1%. This effect is even more pronounced when focusing on the main conflict zones, where sieges and major battles took place, leading to an impact of 3.2%. The effect was not only immediately visible in sex ratios at birth but became particularly evident during the first three months after the events. Furthermore, prolonged battles were found to have the most substantial influence, with an average effect during the three months after the battle of almost 7% on sex ratios at birth. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that premodern wars reduced sex ratios at birth.
Idioma: Inglés
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-025-09496-8
Año: 2025
Publicado en: HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE (2025), [26 pp.]
ISSN: 1045-6767
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2022-138886NB-I00
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/S55-23R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MIU/CAS23-00260
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ-IBERCAJA-CAI/CH2-23
Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)
Área (Departamento): Área Hª e Instituc.Económ. (Dpto. Economía Aplicada)
Debe reconocer adecuadamente la autoría, proporcionar un enlace a la licencia e indicar si se han realizado cambios. Puede hacerlo de cualquier manera razonable, pero no de una manera que sugiera que tiene el apoyo del licenciador o lo recibe por el uso que hace. 0
Exportado de SIDERAL (2025-10-17-14:31:28)
Este artículo se encuentra en las siguientes colecciones:
Artículos > Artículos por área > Historia e Instituciones Económicas
Registro creado el 2025-07-22, última modificación el 2025-10-17