sex characteristics
Male-female body differences
Sex characteristics are the physical features that distinguish male from female bodies.
Primary sex characteristics are reproductive organs present from birth—genitals, uterus, testes.
Secondary sex characteristics develop at puberty: breasts, facial hair, voice depth, hip width.
The term appears frequently in discussions of biology, gender identity, and anti-discrimination law.
- biological sexOrganism's reproductive classification
- facial hairBeard, mustache, stubble
- body hairMammalian surface strands
- testesMale reproductive glands
- ovariesEgg-producing organs
testosterone · uterus · clitoris · muscle growth · hip width · hormonal changes · sex hormones · estrogen · progesterone · penis · pubic hair · voice deepening · vagina · scrotum · fallopian tubes · prostate gland · Adam's apple · beauty standards
sex characteristicspersonality traits
Enduring behavioral tendencies
behavioral traits · psychological traits · personality · character traits · temperament
sex characteristicsacquired traits
Non-inherited developed features
environmental influences · socialization · cultural conditioning · nurture · upbringing
characteristic, characteristics, sexual, sexually, sexuality, sexes, sexless, bisexual, asexual