The raw numbers don't paint an accurate picture of dating inequality. The pairwise nature means you need to subtract out those already paired with a dedicated partner. That will vary for different groups and can cause extreme imbalances in the dating population that you might not expect.
In your college of young adults, suppose 30% of the population is already paired, which is 15% of each gender. That leaves 40% available men to 30% available women, a 1.3:1 ratio, not too bad.
In New York City's adult population of all ages, suppose 86% of the population is already paired, 43% of each gender. That leaves 10% available women chasing 4% available men, a 2.5:1 ratio, quite lopsided.
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The raw numbers don't paint an accurate picture of dating inequality. The pairwise nature means you need to subtract out those already paired with a dedicated partner. That will vary for different groups and can cause extreme imbalances in the dating population that you might not expect.
In your college of young adults, suppose 30% of the population is already paired, which is 15% of each gender. That leaves 40% available men to 30% available women, a 1.3:1 ratio, not too bad.
In New York City's adult population of all ages, suppose 86% of the population is already paired, 43% of each gender. That leaves 10% available women chasing 4% available men, a 2.5:1 ratio, quite lopsided.