Chinese guard dogs & male-dominant gender imbalance

Magnet geography / Pekingese & gender imbalance, a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

Chow Chow is a breed of dog that was developed in China,[1] where it is referred to as Songshi Quan or "puffy-lion dog".

The breed has a very dense double coat, says Wikipedia, that can be either smooth or rough. The fur is particularly thick around the neck, giving the distinctive ruff or mane appearance.

Recent DNA analysis confirms that the Chow Chow is one of the oldest breeds of dog.


More than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without spouses by 2020, says the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The gender imbalance among newborns is the most serious demographic problem for the country's population of 1.3 billion, says the academy.

It cites sex-specific abortions as a major factor, due to China's traditional bias towards male children.

Academy sociologist Yan Hua said: "People's minds have changed a lot during the last 20 years.

"Young couples either don't want to have a second child, or would prefer to live a DINK (Double Income No Kid) life."

The academy says gender selection abortions are "extremely common".

This is especially true in rural areas, and ultra-sound scans, first introduced in the late 1980s, have increased the practice.

The growing imbalance means that forced prostitution and human trafficking has become "rampant" in some parts of the country, according to the researchers.

While analysts admit there is definitely a pronounced gender imbalance in China, they also say that exact information is difficult to obtain because some families are thought to avoid registering female babies in order to make it easier for them to have a second child.