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Revision as of 12:50, 11 February 2003 by MartinHarper (talk | contribs) (colour blindness)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A man is an adult male human. When people talk about men, they may be using the word in terms of sex, or in terms of gender roles, or both.
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 recessive genes carried on the X chromosome.
Gender Roles
In terms of gender, men differ from women by a variety of behaviours. In modern western society, fewer men than women wear cosmetics or clothing such as dresses, skirts, and high heels.
- 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