[hackuser]

> The idea that boys need exposure to women before adulthood, with the exception of their mother, is a relatively modern one. The extent to which the modern west mixes the sexes through education and other social activities is unprecedented, so the Middle East is not nearly alone in this respect.

That's true, but if the prosperity and peace of the modern west also are relatively modern and unusual, perhaps the exposure to women has a positive effect.

[hbhakhra]

There have been so many factors that have changed in relatively modern times, that this is one time to say correlation doesn't equal causation.

[Ntrails]

But we certainly shouldn't discount the possibility that there is a causal link.

[panglott]

At the same time, it seems like marriage is much more costly and difficult for men to achieve in much of the Middle East/South Asia. So you still have a larger population of unmarried men without many marriage prospects.