| Revision as of 07:52, 12 February 2003 view sourceTannin (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users12,305 edits rephrased first para to match Woman← Previous edit | Revision as of 07:56, 12 February 2003 view source Someone else (talk | contribs)8,055 edits also means "one human individual"Next edit → | ||
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| A '''man''' is an ], ] ]. When people talk about ''men'', they may be using the word in terms of ] distinctions, of ] distinctions, or both. | A '''man''' is an ], ] ]. When people talk about ''men'', they may be using the word in terms of ] distinctions, of ] distinctions, or both. The word is also used to indicate an individual human without regard to sex. | ||
| == Sex == | == Sex == | ||
Revision as of 07:56, 12 February 2003
A man is an adult, male human. When people talk about men, they may be using the word in terms of sex distinctions, of gender role distinctions, or both. The word is also used to indicate an individual human without regard to sex.
Sex
In terms of sex, men have various sexual characteristics that differentiate them from women. In men, the sex organs are involved in the reproductive system, whereas the secondary sex characteristics are involved in attracting a mate or in defeating rivals. Men have mainly external sex organs. The study of male reproduction and associated organs is called andrology.
In general, men suffer from the same illnesses as women, however there are some sex-specific illnesses:
- prostate cancer only occurs in men
- certain genetic diseases, such as colour blindness, occur more frequently in men. They are caused by sex-linked, recessive genes carried on the X chromosome.
Gender Roles
In terms of gender, men differ from women by a variety of behaviours.
- Men, considered as a group, tend to be more aggressive than women.
- In modern western society, few wear cosmetics or clothing generally associated with female gender roles.
- Also, a generic form meaning humanity in general. This is objected to by feminists and is usually avoided in modern writing although it was historically common. See non-sexist language.
- The Isle of Man.
- The command in the UNIX system to access the electronic UNIX manual.
- Man, Ivory Coast is a large town in the west of Ivory Coast.
See also: first man