What are secondary sex characteristics?
Q: What are secondary sex characteristics?
A: Secondary sex characteristics are features that help to distinguish between the sexes of a species, and they are not directly linked to reproductive organs.
Q: What are some well-known secondary sex characteristics in men and women?
A: Well-known secondary sex characteristics in men are low voice tone, facial hair, more muscular build, wider shoulders, heavier bones, bigger hands and feet, and taller height. In women, the characteristics usually cited are more prominent breasts, lips, eyes, long/fast growing hair, no facial hair, wider hips, more fat, and a higher voice tone.
Q: How do secondary sex characteristics impact attraction?
A: Secondary sex characteristics can impact attraction because they can be indicators of reproductive fitness and biological traits that may be preferred by potential mates.
Q: Why do women have wider hips?
A: Women have wider hips because they need to give birth. The space between the three bones of a woman's pelvis is where babies are born, so the wider the hips, the easier it is to give birth.
Q: Are wider hips considered a secondary sex characteristic?
A: It is doubtful to call wider hips a secondary characteristic, except insofar as the width may help attract mates.
Q: Why are breasts essential?
A: Breasts in humans are essential because they serve as a source of food for infants.
Q: Do breasts serve any other purpose besides providing food for infants?
A: In humans, breasts are much larger in proportion to other mammals, and they do serve to attract males.
