The Indianapolis journal., 1896-01-20
THE MARRYING AGE.
Explanation of an Inequality I'm the
Sexes shown by the Census.
New York Sun

new lOrk sun.
The discovery has been made by prosaic
and unromantic statisticians in town that
according 10 the recent board of health
census there are about IL 600 more women
IN New York than men: Between the ages
OF twenty and twenty-five the difference is
much greater, the women numbering over
24.000 more than the men. There We're re-
turned by this census $1,000 men between
the ages of twenty and twenty-five and
120, 900 women.
This apparent discrepancy-a discrepancy
which, i'm cold frankness. IL must be ad
mitted is rather arithmetical than real-is
explained by the fact that in all countries
In which census OF the inhabitants Is
derance of women during the period popu-
larly accepted as the marrying age. lt
would probably be ungallant TO say that
any young or middle aged woman would
be willing to confuse the records OF ON
cial enumerators and TO discredit their ic-
curacy by undertaking her age, especially
If ii be upward OF thirty. The excess OF
female over male population in New York
is, as before stated, n,Oo, but the III
vision between the two sexes Is almost ex-
actly equal up to and including the age
of fifteen or 5000 children returned by
the census as being less than one year
old at the time when IL was taken tne
disparity between the two sexes was just
fifty-seven. OF children between three ana
five years of age there were Y sfz boys ana
22.s7S girls. When, however me marriags- ,,ai ss
legged disparity between the sexes Is snown
by the latest census. The number OF youths
returned between the ages ol lANcch ott1
twenty (and some of these. perhaps, may
have slightly overstated their agesl was
1900 while the number OF young women
of. or claiming TO be OF. the same age was
% 0OO Between the ages or twenty ana
twenty-five, as before stated, the disparity
is greatest between the sexes-6,Vn men
and 10000 women. From twenty-five 10
thirty the number OF young women Is over
whelmingly in excess OF the number OF
young men, but from thirty to thrty-hve
this condition Is exactly reversed, the num-
ber OF men preponderating in even greater
ratio. Between thirty-hve and forty-nve
there are $4,000 men and $4,000 women. Be-
tween forty-five and fifty-five there are re-
turned $1,000 men and 5000 women, a diff
ference which has no other warrant than
that of universal usage in age giving. About
fifty-fve the normal proportion between the
two sexes is shown by the recent enumera-
ton to be resumed and between ffty-fve
and sixty-five there are returned 39.073 men
and 90 635 women. Between sixty-five ana
seventy-five there are returned 15843 men
and Is 2e0 women. Women, as general
rule, live longer because they live better
than men. Thus, between the ages of sew
enty-five and eighty-five there were returned
by the late census 1868 men and $500 wom-
en-. Above eighty-five the number OF men
returned was $50 and of women 919
rOne popularity in the report OF the board
of health on the subject of the. enumera-
ton OF New York's inhabitants Is this--that
of 1000 residents who did not know or who
did not admit knowing their age, or con-
cerning whom no definite information on
the subject could be secured, 900 were
men and only ], 100 women.