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	* taller height		* taller height
	* facial hair or beard		* facial hair or beard
	* ~~diamond~~ ~~shape~~ pubic hair ~~pattern~~		* growth of pubic hair and hair under arms and on chest
	* increased body size overall		* increased body size overall
	* less subcutaneous fat		* less subcutaneous fat
	* increase in overall body hair		* increase in overall body hair
	* male pattern baldness
	* coarser skin		* coarser skin
	* darker skin tone		* darker skin tone
			* penis grows larger
⚫	* A higher level of androgenic hormones such as ], ~~making it easier for most men than most women~~ to ~~develop~~ ~~their~~ ~~muscles.~~
			* testicles grow larger and lower
		⚫	* A higher level of androgenic hormones such as ], leading to increased muscle mass
	]		]
	The ]s of a man are part of the reproductive system, consisting of the ], ], ], and the ] gland. The male reproductive system's function is to produce ] which carries ] and thus ] that can unite with an egg within a woman. Since sperm that enters a woman's ] and then ] goes on to ] an egg which develops into a ] or ], the male reproductive system plays no necessary role during the ]. The concept of ]hood and ] exists in human ]. The study of male reproduction and associated organs is called ]. Most, but not all, men have the ] 46/XY.		The ]s of a man are part of the reproductive system, consisting of the ], ], ], and the ] gland. The male reproductive system's function is to produce ] which carries ] and thus ] that can unite with an egg within a woman. Since sperm that enters a woman's ] and then ] goes on to ] an egg which develops into a ] or ], the male reproductive system plays no necessary role during the ]. The concept of ]hood and ] exists in human ]. The study of male reproduction and associated organs is called ]. Most, but not all, men have the ] 46/XY.

Revision as of 12:32, 9 February 2007

Template:Two other uses

Photograph of a nude man by Wilhelm von Gloeden, ca. 1895.

A man is a male human. The term man (irregular plural: men) is usually used for an adult, with the term boy being the usual term for a male child or adolescent (sometimes also applied to childish adult men). However, the term is also used for a human regardless of age or sex, sometimes even extended to more primitive humanoids than the present species Homo sapiens, as in apeman.

Etymology

The English term "Man" (from Proto-Germanic mannaz "man, person") and words derived therefrom can designate any or even all of the human race regardless of their gender or age. This is indeed the oldest usage of "Man" in English. This derives from a Proto-Indo-European root *man-" meaning hand. A similar cognate is Old Norse "mund", hand. The distinctive and dexterous hands of humans, compared to those of other animals, are the basis of this term and the similarly derived term, "manual" (from Latin "Manus", hand), by hand.

Age and terminology

Manhood is the period in a male's life after he has transitioned from boyhood, at least physically, during puberty. Many cultures have rites of passage to symbolize a man's coming of age, such as confirmation in some branches of Christianity, bar mitzvah in Judaism, or even just the celebration of the eighteenth or twenty-first birthday, as in most Western societies.

A boy is a male human child. For many, the word man implies a certain degree of maturity and responsibility that young men in particular often feel unprepared for; yet they may also feel too old to be called a boy. For this reason, many avoid using either man or boy to describe a young man and prefer colloquial terms such as bloke, lad, chap, fellow, guy or dude.

Biology and gender

Main article: Secondary sexual characteristics

Humans exhibit sexual dimorphism in many characteristics, many of which have no direct link to reproductive ability, however most of these characteristic do have a role in sexual attraction. Most expressions of sexual dimorphism in humans are found in height, weight, and body structure, though there are always examples that do not follow the overall pattern. For example, men tend to be taller than women, but there are many people of both sexes who are in the mid-height range for the species.

Some examples of male secondary sexual characteristics in humans, those acquired as boys become men or even later in life, are:

deeper voice
taller height
facial hair or beard
growth of pubic hair and hair under arms and on chest
increased body size overall
less subcutaneous fat
increase in overall body hair
coarser skin
darker skin tone
penis grows larger
testicles grow larger and lower
A higher level of androgenic hormones such as testosterone, leading to increased muscle mass

File:Male anatomy.png

Human male genital area anatomy

The sex organs of a man are part of the reproductive system, consisting of the penis, testicles, vas deferens, and the prostate gland. The male reproductive system's function is to produce semen which carries sperm and thus genetic information that can unite with an egg within a woman. Since sperm that enters a woman's uterus and then fallopian tubes goes on to fertilize an egg which develops into a fetus or child, the male reproductive system plays no necessary role during the gestation. The concept of fatherhood and family exists in human societies. The study of male reproduction and associated organs is called andrology. Most, but not all, men have the karyotype 46/XY.

In general, men suffer from many of the same illnesses as women. However, there are some sex-related illnesses that occur only, or more frequently, in men. For example, autism and color blindness are more common in men than women. As well, some age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease appear to be more common among men, though whether this is due to a genuinely higher incidence or because men have lower life expectancies than women is uncertain.

Twenty percent of males, particularly in the U.S., the Philippines, and South Korea, as well as Jews and Muslims from all countries, have experienced circumcision, a process of altering the penis from its natural state by removing the foreskin.

Biological factors are not always sufficient determinants of whether a person considers themselves a man or is considered a man. Intersexed men may have physical features that are more common in women. In addition female-to-male transgender or transsexual individuals are often considered men psychologically as well as in the social and legal senses (varying by district and culture) but are born with physiology that would be considered typicaly female.

Sexual characteristics

In animals, the sex of an individual is generally determined at the time of fertilization by the sperm cell. If a sperm cell carrying an X chromosome fertilizes the egg, the offspring will be female (XX); if a sperm cell carrying a Y chromosome fertilizes the egg, the offspring will be male (XY). The term primary sexual characteristics denotes the kind of gamete the gonad produces: The ovary produces egg cells in the female, and the testis produces sperm cells in the male. The term secondary sexual characteristics denotes all other sexual distinctions that play indirect roles in uniting sperm and eggs. Secondary sexual characteristics include everything from the specialized male and female features of the genital tract, to the brilliant plumage of male birds or facial hair of humans, to behavioral features such as courtship.

Generally, the more highly evolved the species, the more elaborate are its secondary sexual characteristics. At the time the eggs of starfish ripen, the male merely releases great quantities of sperm cells into the ocean water, and a tiny but sufficient number of them find and penetrate distant eggs. Frogs and toads are drawn to mates by calls, and they spawn in water; the male makes cloacal contact with the female and releases sperm externally, simultaneously with the eggs. Terrestrial animals, especially mammals, which do not have an environment of water through which sperm can propel itself, rely on herding and flocking, courtship, competition among males, and more specialized genitalia including an erectile penis.

Sex hormones

In mammals, the hormones that influence sexual differentiation and development are androgens (mainly testosterone), which stimulate later development of the ovary. In the sexually undifferentiated embryo, testosterone stimulates the development of the Wolffian duct system, the forerunner of the male genital tract. Later, testosterone, along with gonadotropins released by the pituitary gland, stimulates spermatogenesis.

Gender stereotypes

Enormous debate in Western societies has focused on perceived social, intellectual, or emotional differences between men and women. These differences are very difficult to quantify for both scientific and political reasons. Below are a few stereotypical claims sometimes made about men in relation to women:

More aggressive than women. However, in interpersonal relationships, most research has found that men and women are equally aggressive. Men do tend to be more aggressive outside of the home.
More courageous and adventuresome than women.
More competitive but also more stubborn than women.
More self-confident (even proud) and exhibit better leadership skills than women.
More self-controlled and less emotional.
More technically and organizationally skilled than women.
More prone to abstract thinking than women.

Some of these differences have been supported by scientific research; others have not. For example, in interpersonal relationships, most research has found that men and women are equally aggressive. Men do tend to be more aggressive outside of the home. It is especially difficult and contentious for science to separate the "innate" or biological differences from the learned or social differences. All should be considered broad generalizations; that is, at least a large minority of either gender would fit better with the other gender in any one of these aspects.

A number of the above stereotypes were not perceived in the same way as today (i.e., their applications to particular aspects and spheres of life, such as work vs. home) until the 19th century, beginning with industrialization.

In terms of outward appearance, few men in Western cultures wear cosmetics or clothing generally associated with female gender roles. (Doing so is generally stigmatized and viewed as cross-dressing.)

It is claimed men on average have a higher IQ than women of around five points.

Culture and gender roles

Main article: Gender role

George W. Bush is the President of the United States, a position that up to now has been held only by men.

Well into prehistoric culture, men are believed to have assumed a variety of social and cultural roles which are likely similar across many groups of humans. In hunter-gatherer societies, men were often if not exclusively responsible for all large game killed, the capture and raising of most or all domesticated animals, the building of permanent shelters, the defense of villages, and other tasks where the male physique and strong spatial-cognition were most useful. Some anthropologists believe that it may have been men who led the Neolithic Revolution and became the first pre-historical ranchers, as a possible result of their intimate knowledge of animal life.

Throughout history, the roles of men have changed greatly. As societies have moved away from agriculture as a primary source of jobs, the emphasis on male physical ability has waned. Traditional gender roles for middle-class men typically involved jobs emphasizing moderate to hard manual labor (see Blue-collar worker), often with no hope for increase in wage or position. For poorer men among the working classes the need to support their families, especially during periods of industrial change and economic decline, forced them to stay in dangerous jobs working long arduous hours, often without retirement. Many industrialized countries have seen a shift to jobs which are less physically demanding, with a general reduction in the percentage of manual labor needed in the work force (see White-collar worker). The male goal in these circumstances is often of pursuing a quality education and securing a dependable, often office-environment, source of income.

The Men's Movement is in part a struggle for the recognition of equality of opportunity with women, and for equal rights irrespective of gender, even if special relations and conditions are willingly incurred under the form of partnership involved in marriage. The difficulties of obtaining this recognition are due to the habits and customs recent history has produced. Through a combination of economic changes and the efforts of the feminist movement in recent decades, men in some societies now face women who receive educational and workplace benefit based solely on gender. Modern men in Western society still face challenges in the workplace as well as on the topics of education, violence, health care, politics, and fatherhood - to name a few. Research has identified anti-male sexism, and the effects of its expansion may increase hardships for many males.