Men in Alaska

A popular cliché about finding a man in Alaska is, ''The odds are good, but the goods are odd.''

A popular cliché about breaking up with a woman in Alaska is, ''You don't lose your girl, you lose your turn.''

Alaska has a reputation for a high ratio of men to women. Surprisingly though, the ratio between men and women is quite even across the state. However, in some of the more remote areas of Alaska there is indeed a larger imbalance of men to women. Seriously, what kind of woman wants to live in the wild rugged remoteness of rural Alaska? Oh, there are some; I apparently am one of them.

Or perhaps, the higher ratio of men to women in rural areas may very well have to do with occupations. Women in this region primarily work either in the area of education or health care. Men, although they also work in those areas, they also dominate a wider variety of "masculine" fields in rural Alaska.

So, with more men than women out here you’d think that women would have an easy time finding a man. That simply isn’t true. I have known several female teachers who have left their villages because of the lack of social possibilities.

And here, in Oscarville, there are no options. Zilch.

Men (or lack of) is a very hot topic out here.
It is a very real concern for some.
It is an escape for others.