Sex estimation and stature II Flashcards
What 2 things used to determine sex?
1) Morphological traits of the skull and the pelvis
2) Discriminant function analysis from measurements of the hip bone
What is the difference between sex and gender?
Sex:
- Biological concept
- Genetic or phenotypic expression of XX or XY
- Largely binary (except for genetic conditions and hormones)
Gender:
- Sociocultural concept
- Reflecting different cultural, political and reproductive strategies
What is sexual dimorphism?
Distinct difference in size or appearance between the sexes of an animal in addition to the sexual organs themselves
Differs between species - can tell clearly in some species and not in others
What are the skeletal consequences of sexual dimorphism in humans?
Size - adult males are often larger than females
Robusicity - Males have greater muscle bulk, stronger muscle attachments and larger joint surfaces
Reproduction - Female pelvis is adapted for childbirth
Bone chemistry - Sex differences in bone mineral content, trace element levels,
What are the best bones to use to estimate the sex of an individual?
The skull and the pelvis
long bones can be used but there is too much room for error
What bones in the skull tend to be smaller in females?
Frontal bone, temporal bone and mandible
What are the different categories of sex classification?
5 categories:
- Definitely male
- Possible male
- Intermediate
- Possible female
- Definite female
What are the principle sex discriminating features of the human skull related to?
Hypertrophy of the bone in males
Tendency for males to show greater development of muscle markings
(in females these are small)
How are traits of the skeleton scored?
On a scale of 1-5:
With 1 being hyper female and 5 being hyper male
Or on a binary scale:
Eg. nuchal crest smooth (female) or ridged (male)
What is the influence of hormones on dimorphic traits?
Examples?
Can impact on the dimorphic traits of the skull and fluctuate with age
Eg. adolescent males may look more gracile and therefore more female due to testosterone levels
Eg. older females (post menopause) may develop more male traits in the cranium
How does testosterone effect the markings found on the skull?
Increases muscle mass - attachments for muscle must be more robust
Why is the shape of the pelvis predominantly used for sex estimation?
Because it is directly linked to biological sex, due to the adaptation of the females to childbirth
Causing female pelves features to be wider
What sex estimation features are 80-90% accurate in determining sex?
Why is this a problem?
The features found on the anterior aspect of the pubic synthesis and the medial aspect of the inferior pubic ramus
Due to their location - likely to be cut off during excavation
