Concept
Biological Sex
HE A LTH EDUC A TION H E A L T H 1 0 0 V E R S I O N 3 / Sex and Gender
"“Sex” refers to physiological differences found among male, female, and various intersex bodies. Sex includes both primary sex characteristics, which are related to the reproductive system, and secondary sex characteristics, which are not directly related to the reproductive system, such as breasts and facial hair. In humans, the biological sex of a child is determined at birth based on several factors, including chromosomes, gonads, hormones, internal reproductive anatomy, and genitalia. Biological sex has traditionally been conceptualized as a binary in Western medicine, typically divided into male and female. However, anywhere from 1.0 to 1.7% of children are born intersex, having a variation in sex characteristics, including chromosomes, gonads, or genitals, that do not allow them to be distinctly identified as male or female. Due to the existence of multiple forms of intersex conditions, many view sex as existing along a spectrum rather than simply two mutually exclusive categories. In humans, sex is typically divided into male, female, or intersex, meaning having some combination of male and female sex characteristics."
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