Analysing sex ratio variables in Nepal

Abstract

In some reptiles (for example the turtle) and birds (for example Alectura lathami) incubation temperature plays pivotal role for sex determination. Mendal’s theory argues that there is an equal chance of having male and female offspring. However, whether this applies to humans and specifically all castes (ethnic groups) in a Nepalese population is researchable. This paper tested two hypotheses: (a) whether there is statistically significant relationship between temperature and sex ratio and (b) whether there is statistically significant relationship between caste type and sex ratio. Since Nepal is an ideal place to test these hypotheses we used the population data of Nepal (1991). To test the first hypothesis, we applied Chi-Square test and found that the temperature has no statistically significant role on human sex determination. For the second hypothesis, we applied Z-test. In 43 castes, we found that there was statistically significantly higher number of male than female population. In another 22 castes, the female population was found statistically significantly higher than the male population. This led us to conclude that, in some castes, probability of having a male or female infant is statistically higher. This does not support Mendal’s theory. Mendal’s theory is well tested and most of people may not agree with this conclusion. If so, this article raises a critical question of who is right, statistical theory or Mendal’s theory.