Pelvic Bones: Sex Determination

The pelvic bones of males and females are different. We can use these differences to determine the sex of an individual.

The differences include:

• The male pelvis is thicker and heavier than the female pelvis.
• The female pelvic inlet is wide, oval, and rounded, but the male pelvic inlet is heart-shaped and narrow.
• The male pubic arch is V-shaped with an angle between 60˚ and 70˚ while the female pubic arch is U-shaped with an angle between 80˚ and 90˚.
• The coccyx in males is fixed and projecting inwards, but in females, it is flexible and straight.

Figure 1: A male pelvis (left) and a female pelvis (right).