ABSTRACT
Two speci c terms frequently are confused in common usage: sex and gender. ‹is is a major issue in science because the diœerence between these words is a distinction between
Introduction 139 Sex vs. Gender 139 Sexual Dimorphism 140 DNA 142 Documentation 142 Morphological Approaches to Sex Determination 143
Pelvis 143 Skull 146 Other Postcranial Bones 151
Metric Approaches to Sex Determination 152 When Methods Disagree 156 Conclusion 157 Acknowledgments 158 References 158
a biological reality and a social category. For scientists, sex is a biological fact, whereas gender is a socially ascribed and perceived identity. ‹e confusion may stem from several sources: it could be because the general public lacks awareness of the distinction between the two terms and perhaps from the common usage of “gender” on governmental and business forms when in fact “sex” is meant. Overall, the confusion likely lies in the fact that most people believe these words to be synonyms when they are not. As anthropologists, we can only determine the biological sex of an individual from skeletal remains, not that individual’s gender character or role. In some cases, gender might be implied from examining the material culture found in conjunction with skeletal remains such as clothing, jewelry, weaponry, and class symbols, but this determination can be very difcult and is fraught with uncertainty. We must remember that when a police investigator asks for the “gender” of an unknown decedent, it is not a question of how that individual dressed, acted, or performed various roles in society, but rather a very simple question of biologically “male or female.” We should be mindful of how we apply these terms in everyday professional discussions, casework, or publications, so we do not perpetuate this misconception.
