I have found myself considering a rather odd scenario. I thought to myself, what if, instead of an even chance, boys were a fourth as likely to be born as girls? This prospect was remarkably curious to me and I began to ponder what that might have brought about throughout the course of history. Surely, people would be aware that both male and female reproductive systems are necessary in order to conceive a child. I’ve come up with two main scenarios of how society as a whole might have reacted to this:

First, these rare and precious boys might be sheltered. They are essential to the survival of the race and thus they must be protected. Due to the frequent casualties of war, the women would do the battling since there were more of them to spare, while the boys would remain guarded at home. Any civilization who wished for the destruction of another would target, most prominently, the boys. With the delicate state of the human race as a whole, it's entirely possible that the racial roles would turn completely opposite. Women would do the labor, the fighting, and would have more educational opportunities, there being more of them, while men would stay safe within the home and take on lighter tasks to prevent injury.

Another option altogether, brought on by the recognition of the male body's inherent strength, is that boys might be seen of more as “chosen ones.” To be born a male, in ancient times, would have meant that God selected you for a higher purpose, and thus granted you this superior vessel. Men would be the elite noble class and rule the general populace, but, due to their rarity, would still be sheltered, and women would still do most of the labor, battling, craftswork, and scholarly duties.

Men would, in this second scenario, be rather praised, for sure, but they would not dare attempt to take more control than what they were offered. While the male sex would be regarded as something special, they would still reside within the vast minority.

A third, smaller option, would be that males might be treated something like Renaissance women; their duty would be little else but to aid in conceiving children, and they would be basically repressed. Either way, the subject is fascinating to me, and I may continue to think on it.