Physically, there is obvious and readily apparent sexual dimorphism between men and women—that is, differences in shape and size between individuals of differing gender in the same species. In many species, including most mammals, the male is larger than the female. For the most part, that’s true of humans as well; on average, men are taller than women and have greater body mass and weight. The male face is more angular overall and is usually larger than the female face, and the lower half of the male’s face is proportionally larger than the female’s simply because the lower jaw, or mandible, of the male is bigger and stronger. The jaw angle is usually more severely defined in the male and the chin squarer and more prominent. The forehead is also often more sloping in males than in females, with a hint of a projecting brow ridge.[33]
Here are some additional outward physical differences between men and women:
■ Men generally have more body hair than women.
■ Men’s skin is thicker and oilier than women’s skin; women’s skin tends to be smoother.
■ Women generally have smaller waists in relation to their hips; that is, their waist-to-hip ratio is smaller than that of men.
■ A man’s index finger (second digit) tends to be shorter than the ring finger (fourth digit), whereas a woman’s index finger tends to be longer than the ring finger.
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Women tend to have lighter skin coloration than men, on average, by as much as 3 or 4 percent.
■ Women generally have a lower center of gravity than men—that is, shorter legs and longer torsos relative to their height—as well as a larger hip section.
■ Women generally have a higher percentage of body fat than men.
■ Women tend to have higher voices than men.
■ Men tend to have a more prominent laryngeal prominence, or Adam’s apple, than women.
■ Women have enlarged, functional breasts.
■ Men generally have greater muscle mass and physical strength.
■ Men tend to have shoulders that are wider than their hips.
■ Men’s skeletal structure is generally heavier than women’s.
■ Men tend to collect fat deposits around the abdomen and waist (apple shape), whereas women tend to have greater fat deposits around the buttocks, thighs, and hips (pear shape).[34]