Population variation in skeletal sexual dimorphism

- Sex can be estimated from features of the human skeleton.
- Sexual dimorphism in skeletal morphology is influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
- Considerable population variation exists in the expression of sexual dimorphism in the skeleton.
- Methods to estimate sex from a skeleton should utilize appropriate regional data.

Research has documented considerable population variation in sexual dimorphism related to human growth and development. This variation represents both genetic and environmental factors which impact methodologies used to estimate sex from human skeletal remains. This article provides an overview of known variation in skeletal sexual dimorphism among populations through documented research on samples from around the world. Variation in juvenile growth patterns of populations and differences in adult skeletal size and characteristics are discussed. This recognized variation should be considered by forensic anthropologists when estimating sex from skeletal remains and appropriate population-specific data should be utilized.