Survey disparity

NY Times about evolutionary biology

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/weekinreview/12kolata.html


One survey, recently reported by the federal government, concluded that men had a median of seven female sex partners. Women had a median of four male sex partners. Another study, by British researchers, stated that men had 12.7 heterosexual partners in their lifetimes and women had 6.5.

But there is just one problem, mathematicians say. It is logically impossible for heterosexual men to have more partners on average than heterosexual women. Those survey results cannot be correct.


It is entirely possible to get such disparity if you consider cut off age for the survey.

For example, at age 70, there are more females than males alive. One old guy might actualy have mutiple female girfirends at the same time. Yet all these surviving females share only one old guy. Now you get the picture.