Excellent questions. Your confusion is justified.

As for 'how many', we know from the story men account for "only one percent of the world's population" (or at least, that's what Ash thinks). We also know the first Ascension happened in early eighteen hundreds. Assuming a 50-50 gender division at that time, what DID happen to all the men? Obviously those alive at that time would be dead by now. So, perhaps a factor causes women to be born more frequently than men. Or perhaps something increases the mortality rate of men. Or something else. We don't know the answer yet.

We also know very little about reproduction.

Great questions. I too look forward to the answers. After all, who wouldn't want Ash and Luna to procreate? :)

Wow, excellent commentary. First, let's take a look at what the story says.

In chapter 6, Luna mentions having 'clear' skin, but Ash doesn't see any significant difference. He even speaks of pimples as a common thing in this world (we assume among Ascended women too, as they comprise 99% of the population).

In chapter 7, Luna describes herself as 'perfect' when she awakens, even though she hasn't seen herself yet. Therefore, how much of 'beauty' or 'physical perfection' is psychological?

Later, she looks in the mirror sees a lithe, toned body. She specifically thinks "the person I'd always wanted to be". Again, there appears to be a psychological factor involved here.

Anorexia is so devastating because people perceive themselves as being overweight when they are extremely thin. That's just one example, but it shows the subjectivity involved in the concept of 'beauty'.

I think a lot of people in real life don't see themselves as physically beautiful or perfect. But if they truly did, what would it look like? Probably different for different individuals. There is no empirical mandate that the model on the cover of Sports Illustrated is epitome of female beauty.

Regan mentions that healing burns 'excess fat', but what does that mean? Luna still describes Regan as 'significantly more full-figured' than herself.

Being overweight or obese isn't a cosmetic problem. These conditions can increase risk for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.

However, a 'healthy weight' doesn't mean 'thin' or 'skinny'. There's a range. People can fall in different areas of that 'weight spectrum' and still be healthy.

And even if someone is obese, that doesn't mean they're not beautiful. Based on Regan's words, Healing (as the name implies) increases one's health, not beauty. In fact, she mentions the primary reason people visit healers is the 'feeling' they get afterwards, not the physical effects.

We've also seen the 'older lady with gray hair' in chapter 3. Since she works in a hospital, it's likely she has access to Healing. However, that implies Healing and Ascension are not 'fountains of youth' and is yet another example that beauty (e.g., the stereotypical concept of beauty we see on pageants and fashion runways) isn't the target.

Finally, be aware that the entire story is told through the perspective of Ash or Luna (so far). Beauty and physical perfection are not objective/measurable things, but that still doesn't stop the concepts from occuring as thoughts in the minds of individuals. Luna's concept of 'clear skin' may not be the same as mine and Ash sees no difference. Again, the psychological factor; the brain is a powerful thing.

As for being 'smarter', well I could go on forever about that too. How effective are standardized tests today (IQ, SAT, ACT, etc) at measuring intelligence? Nothing we've seen so far has shown Ascended women as significantly smarter than Ash. Now if Regan's words about induced Ascension are true, that could change. After all, Luna demonstrates incredible memory (sometimes associated with intelligence). However, she still has anaive quality about her that persists into her Ascended form.

As for the treatment of males in this world, well, it's not a perfect world. Equality simply doesn't exist in many aspects of this world. Maybe Luna and Ash's relationship will be different in that respect. Earlier, she said she didn't want to be 'like Regan'. We'll see what happens.

I usually don't write this much in a reply, but you got me thinking. Thanks for the comments!

Regan says "fluids involved with sex are like contact poison." That isn't necessarily referring to saliva. I suppose I'm trying to say nothing we've seen so far indicates their relationship will have more or less oral sex than prior to Luna's Ascension.

POV switches are a little tricker in a first person story, but I still enjoy doing them and reading them. Thanks for your comments!