A Comparison of Sexual and Size Dimorphism Across Cold-Weather and Temperate Human Populations

Abstract

Much work has been done previously on how male and female pelves differ and how different geographic populations differ, but few studies have looked at how these two factors interact. This study examined the pelvic and femoral dimensions of five American males and five American females from a twentieth century group and five Inuit males and five Inuit females from a 100 BC--500 AD aged group. Based on previous research, I tested the hypothesis that there will be significant differences in femoral length, bi-iliac breadth, and surface area to body mass ratio between the Inuits and Americans and differences in innominate height, bi-acetabular breadth, ischiopubic index, and the midplane and outlet dimensions of the pelvis between the males and females. I found all but the surface area to body mass and bi-acetabular breadth measurements supported the hypothesis, suggesting that more work can be done to examine differences in sex and body size in different geographic groups