How can you tell from a skeleton alone whether it is a man or a woman?

Asker: Marianne, 50 years old

Answer

The skeleton of men and women differ in many areas.

eg. the skull: a man’s forehead is more oblique than a woman’s.
eg. the pelvis: a woman has a more oval shaped pelvis (to allow for childbirth).
eg. the fingers: in a woman the index finger is normally longer than the ring finger (in men it is the other way around due to testosterone).

Other differences are, for example, in the ribs (proportionally larger in men), the jawbone (more angular in men), the teeth,…

Kind regards,

How can you tell from a skeleton alone whether it is a man or a woman?

Answered by

Dr Jasper Verguts

Gynecology Obstetrics

Catholic University of Leuven
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/

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