# In your humble opinion, how do you tell the difference between men and women? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570 "2011-12-27T22:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/21 "2011-12-28T02:45:58Z")
Here’s an eye-opening TED talk on this topic: [http://www.ted.com/talks/alice\_dreger\_is\_anatomy\_destiny.html](http://www.ted.com/talks/alice_dreger_is_anatomy_destiny.html) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/22 "2011-12-28T02:53:32Z")
I ask them if they’d like to watch \*River Monsters \*and \*Turtle Man \*with me. If no then woman. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/23 "2011-12-28T03:18:50Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I ask them if they’d like to watch \*River Monsters \*and \*Turtle Man \*with me. > > If no then woman. No wonder we have so many innocent folks in prison… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/24 "2011-12-28T04:24:35Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I ask them if they’d like to watch \*River Monsters \*and \*Turtle Man \*with me. > > If no then woman. By that same reasoning, put on a \*Three Stooges \*short. If they laugh uproariously, they are a man. If they sniff and look away – chick. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/25 "2011-12-28T04:50:11Z")
I think gender recognition is very facially oriented. I can’t think of a time where I saw a face and was mistaken of it’s gender. While of course there are individual exceptions, men have more prominent jawlines and angular features; while womens’ faces are typically softer and less severe. Also, the presence of facial hair-roots, whether there is actual hair or it’s been shaved, makes a difference. “Finally, there could be some individuals in the audience who really don’t give a F\*\*\*\* about the beauty pageant, because beauty itself is subjective” And this is neither here nor there but I just wanted to add that I don’t believe _anyone_ would be in a beauty pageant audience who really didn’t give a FUCK about the beauty pageant. At least not voluntarily. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/26 "2011-12-28T04:50:44Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I’d like you to meet my 85 year old grandmother. Hubba hubba! All right, seriously, then I guess she’s a man. (I refuse to change my metric, no matter how idiotic it is in retrospect.) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/27 "2011-12-28T05:11:41Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > but then again, it’s the 21st century and apparently [“male eggs”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_egg) exist. No, they don’t. Go back and read that article, it’s written entirely in theoretical terms. And why _can’t_ you hold a human being upside-down and look between the legs? Only [.15%](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex#Prevalence) of live births result in genitalia ambigious enough to make them medically interesting. Or were did you mean can’t as in “you can’t treat people that way!”? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/28 "2011-12-28T05:13:45Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > No, they don’t. Go back and read that article, it’s written entirely in theoretical terms. > > And why _can’t_ you hold a human being upside-down and look between the legs? Only [.15%](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex#Prevalence) of live births result in genitalia ambigious enough to make them medically interesting. Or were did you mean can’t as in “you can’t treat people that way!”? I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he was referring to the latter. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/29 "2011-12-28T05:15:19Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he was referring to the latter. Well then he can say so. But he’s wrong. It’s always worked for me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/30 "2011-12-28T06:10:55Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > Using this method, I have been absolutely wrong at least once. A figure walking toward me said “woman” in every subtle, perhaps even subconscious, way. However, when he got close enough I saw he had a full beard. I’ve seen him several other times and each time, he looks, and moves, like a woman to me. Asked their perceptions, others have the same reaction: he looks like a woman until you are looking directly in his face. Very mysterious. And now you know why he wears a beard. I personally find that most men want to make sure you know they are male and most women want you to be sure they are female. People don’t like being addressed as the wrong gender. The exceptions aren’t going to mind if you get it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/31 "2011-12-28T07:21:24Z")
Transvestites are very, very good at making you think they are female. But, they can’t hide the protruding adams apple. Look at the base of the neck. Men always have protruding adams apples. If the cute lady has an adams apple then you’re in for quite a shock if you take them home. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/32 "2011-12-28T08:10:23Z")
The first thing I notice is breasts, or lack thereof. If a peripheral breast-reading is inconclusive, I look at hair length/face/jewelry, then shoes, then manner of dress. If I’m still confused at this point, voice is a pretty good final indicator. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/33 "2011-12-28T08:30:05Z")
Body shape, hair length, voice, facial construction and hirsuteness are all aspects that are taken into account. If these fail, and sometimes they do; I’ve run into a couple of people whose names do not clarify their gender and in those cases, I simply default to they/them when discussing them in absentia and using friend/their name when I need their attention. I find not knowing someone’s gender in absolute terms is not really that big a hindrance. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/34 "2011-12-28T08:36:51Z")
Pat. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/35 "2011-12-28T09:23:50Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Hold them upside down and look between their legs. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!.. \ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/36 "2011-12-28T09:26:44Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > You can do that to animals. Humans are animals, but they are a _special_ kind of animal. _ **You can not hold a human being upside-down and look between the legs** _. (bolding mine) Not without buying them a couple of drinks first, at least! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/37 "2011-12-28T09:32:38Z")
1. hair (including facial) 2. clothes 3. if still ambiguous, breasts/bra/adam’s apple ---
**Author:** ![AqualungBats5th](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@AqualungBats5th](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AqualungBats5th)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/38 "2011-12-28T13:41:06Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > And why _can’t_ you hold a human being upside-down and look between the legs? Only [.15%](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersex#Prevalence) of live births result in genitalia ambigious enough to make them medically interesting. Or were did you mean can’t as in “you can’t treat people that way!”? Good job misrepresenting the information in that article. Considering we can’t, at least from that information given, discern where the line is for where medical experts consider surgery feasible or necessary (the latter a gross concept in itself). For those who want an honest figure, it says 1% of live births include some kind of ambiguous genitalia. And also, you know, some people are transgender and have genitals that do not match their outward gender representation. But you know, apparently when a group is a small percentage of the population, it’s okay to just disregard them entirely! ps, **aceplace57** , not all males have prominent adam’s apples. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/39 "2011-12-28T13:58:02Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Why not? No, thank you. 😉 I think we all know that there’s nothing, simply nothing, that can tell you for every single individual - particularly if intersexed, transgendered and/or cross-dressing people are in play. But, that being said, if I’m trying to figure out the gender of an ambiguous individual (which usually means their body shape doesn’t make it immediately obvious), I find I first notice facial bone structure, then contrast between lips and skin on the face (women tend to have more contrast, even without makeup), then facial skin texture (testosterone makes skin thicker and pores more noticeable) then presence/lack of facial hair, then Adam’s Apple, then hand shape and texture. Basically, I look for the masculinizing effects of testosterone and other androgens. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570/40 "2011-12-28T16:24:29Z")
There’s also finger length. In most cases, men have a ring finger that is second in length only to their middle finger, while women have their index finger as their second longest. It’s easiest if you look at the back of the hand, not the palm side. This isn’t foolproof, but it’s usually correct. It’s saved me from taking home more than one transvestite! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-your-humble-opinion-how-do-you-tell-the-difference-between-men-and-women/607570.md?page=3)