Source: Lane Nichols, Dominion Post

A "man drought" may be set for a reversal, with new population statistics revealing a surge in the number of young males.

Nationally, women outnumber men by 70,000 and the average female is more than two years older than the average male.

This has led to claims that eligible, single women are being starved of male partners because of a shortage of Kiwi men.

Figures revealed in yesterday's National Population Estimates by Statistics New Zealand show there are just 97 New Zealand blokes for every 100 women.

But it's a different story among those under 24, where males heavily outnumber females.

With more than 40,000 more males than females under 24, thousands of lonely Kiwi men could suffer a "woman drought" in decades to come as the current gender imbalance is turned on its head.

Fertility Associates medical director Andrew Murray said there was no obvious medical explanation for the increase in male births. But fertility treatment showed a "subtly higher" ratio of boys over girls. "No-one really knows why."

He said there was nothing sinister in the ratio; gender selection was illegal in New Zealand.   READ THE FULL ARTICLE Online >