It’s not the first time thinkers have explored the nexus between fracking towns and relationships. Researchers in the Economics Department at the University of Maryland, College Park, recently studied how fracking booms have affected number of marriages and babies born in relevant parts of Texas, Oklahoma, California and Pennsylvania.
In the past, in more conservative parts of the country like Appalachia, “infusions of steady jobs for men in the 1970s and 80s led to more marriages and then more children born in wedlock,” according to a CNBC story on the study. This study found that things have changed. While the influx of men with jobs had a positive effect on the number of local births, there was no increase in marriage rates.
During his visit, Zuckerberg also reported another side effect of the high percentage of men in Williston. The women Zuckerberg met told him they mostly feel safe but that the male-heavy population has led to increased crime, he says. “It is well-documented across the world that societies with many more men than women have more crime.”
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