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105-399: A woman is an adult female human . Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl . Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes , one from each parent, and fertile women are capable of pregnancy and giving birth from puberty until menopause . More generally, sex differentiation of the female fetus is governed by

210-414: A contract , marriage , voting , having a job , serving in the military , buying/possessing firearms , driving , traveling abroad, involvement with alcoholic beverages , smoking , sexual activity , gambling , being a model or actor in pornography , running for president , etc. Admission of a young person to a place may be restricted because of danger for that person, concern that the place may lead

315-625: A gender binary in which woman is one of the two genders, the other being man ; others have a third gender . Most women are cisgender , meaning they were assigned female at birth and have a female gender identity . Transgender women were assigned male at birth and have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their sex assigned at birth). Gender dysphoria may be treated with gender-affirming care , which may include social or medical transition . Social transition may involve changes such as adopting

420-407: A 'full' adult quite yet. Next, the instability feature notes that emerging adults often move around after their high school years whether that is to college, friends' houses, or living with a romantic partner, as well as moving back home with their parents/guardians for a time. This moving around often ends once the individual's family and career have been set. Tagging along with the instability feature

525-456: A body of laws which all members of society must obey, with punishments for transgressors. This requires a society with the structures required to enact and enforce laws. A culture of law incorporates a social contract : members of society give up some aspects of their freedom to defend themselves and to retaliate for injuries, on the understanding that society will apprehend and punish transgressors. An alternative to government enforcement of laws

630-455: A combination of economic changes and the efforts of the feminist movement , in recent decades women in many societies have gained access to careers beyond the traditional homemaker . Despite these advances, modern women in Western society still face challenges in the workplace as well as with the topics of education, violence, health care, politics, and motherhood, and others. Sexism can be

735-486: A family level can result in a sustained feud . Honour-based cultures are also known as honour-shame cultures and are contrasted with guilt cultures on the guilt-shame-fear spectrum of cultures . Cultures of honour are often conservative, encoding pre-modern traditional family values and duties. In some cases these values clash with those of post- sexual revolution and egalitarian societies. Cultures of law sometimes consider practices in honour cultures to be unethical or

840-480: A family, school, regiment, or nation. Accordingly, individuals (or institutions) are assigned worth and stature based on the harmony of their actions with a specific code of honour , and with the moral code of the society at large. Samuel Johnson , in his A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), defined honour as having several senses, the first of which was " nobility of soul, magnanimity , and

945-402: A full, mentally developed, adult include traits of personal responsibilities in multiple aspects of life. Although few or no established dictionaries provide a definition for the two-word term biological adult , the first definition of adult in multiple dictionaries includes "the stage of the life cycle of an animal after reproductive capacity has been attained". Thus, the base definition of

1050-579: A girl's coming of age , such as confirmation in some branches of Christianity , bat mitzvah in Judaism , or a custom of a special celebration for a certain birthday (generally between 12 and 21), like the quinceañera of Latin America. Male and female bodies have some differences . Some differences, such as the external sex organs , are visible, while other differences, such as internal anatomy and genetic characteristics, are not visible. Typically,

1155-676: A good chance of turning out better than their parents did. According to Jewish tradition, adulthood is reached at age 13 for Jewish boys and 12 for Jewish girls in accordance with the Bar or Bat Mitzvah ; they are expected to demonstrate preparation for adulthood by learning the Torah and other Jewish practices. The Christian Bible and Jewish scripture contain no age requirement for adulthood or marrying , which includes engaging in sexual activity. The 1983 Code of Canon Law states, "A man before he has completed his sixteenth year of age, and likewise

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1260-610: A handgun from a federally licensed dealer (although federal law makes an exception for individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 to obtain one from a private dealer if state law permits.) As of July 1984, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act mandated that all states raise their respective drinking ages to 21 to create a uniform standard for legally purchasing, drinking, or publicly possessing alcohol with exceptions made for consumption only in private residences under parental supervision and permission. This

1365-473: A higher body fat composition, and are on average shorter and less muscular than men. Throughout human history , traditional gender roles within patriarchal societies have often defined and limited women's activities and opportunities, resulting in gender inequality ; many religious doctrines and legal systems stipulate certain rules for women. With restrictions loosening during the 20th century in many societies, women have gained wider access to careers and

1470-511: A main concern and barrier for women almost anywhere, though its forms, perception, and gravity vary between societies and social classes. There has been an increase in the endorsement of egalitarian gender roles in the home by both women and men. Although a greater number of women are seeking higher education, their salaries are often less than those of men. CBS News said in 2005 that in the United States women who are ages 30 to 44 and hold

1575-423: A new name , hairstyle , clothing , and pronoun associated with the individual's affirmed female gender identity. A major component of medical transition for trans women is feminizing hormone therapy , which causes the development of female secondary sex characteristics (such as breasts , redistribution of body fat, and lower waist–hip ratio ). Medical transition may also involve gender-affirming surgery , and

1680-592: A nutritious secretion that is the most distinctive characteristic of mammals, along with live birth. In mature women, the breast is generally more prominent than in most other mammals; this prominence, not necessary for milk production, is thought to be at least partially the result of sexual selection . Estrogens , which are primary female sex hormones, have a significant impact on a female's body shape. They are produced in both men and women, but their levels are significantly higher in women, especially in those of reproductive age. Besides other functions, estrogens promote

1785-425: A person may be biologically an adult, and have adult behavior, but still be treated as a child if they are under the legal age of majority. Conversely, one may legally be an adult but possess none of the maturity and responsibility that may define an adult character. In different cultures, there are events that relate passing from being a child to becoming an adult or coming of age . This often encompasses passing

1890-542: A result, particular populations feel adult earlier in the life course than do others. Contemporary experiences of and research on young adults today substitute more seemingly subjective criteria for adulthood which resonate more soundly with young adults' experiences of aging. The criteria are marked by a growing "importance of individualistic criteria and the irrelevance of the demographic markers of normative conceptions of adulthood." In particular, younger cohorts' attainment of adulthood centers on three criteria: gaining

1995-446: A scorn of meanness ". This sort of honour derives from the perceived virtuous conduct and personal integrity of the person endowed with it. Johnson also defined honour in relationship to "reputation" and "fame"; to "privileges of rank or birth", and as "respect" of the kind which "places an individual socially and determines his right to precedence". This sort of honour is often not so much a function of moral or ethical excellence, as it

2100-868: A sense of responsibility, independent decision-making, and financial independence. Jeffrey Arnett, a psychologist and professor at Clark University in Massachusetts, studied the development of adults and argues that there is a new and distinct period of development in between adolescence and adulthood. This stage, which he calls "emerging adulthood", occurs between the ages of 18 and 25. Arnett describes these individuals as able to take some responsibility for their lives, but still not completely feeling like an adult. Arnett articulates five distinct features that are unique to this period of development: identity exploration, feeling in between, instability, self-focus, and having possibilities. Arnett makes it clear that these 5 aspects of emerging adulthood are only relevant during

2205-414: A series of tests to demonstrate that a person is prepared for adulthood, or reaching a specified age, sometimes in conjunction with demonstrating preparation. Most modern societies determine legal adulthood based on reaching a legally specified age without requiring a demonstration of physical maturity or preparation for adulthood. Historically and cross-culturally, adulthood has been determined primarily by

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2310-458: A social construction is illustrated by the changing criteria of adulthood over time. Historically, adulthood in the U.S. has rested on completing one's education, moving away from the family of origin, and beginning one's career. Other key historical criteria include entering a marriage and becoming a parent. These criteria are social and subjective; they are organized by gender, race, ethnicity, and social class, among other key identity markers. As

2415-471: A source of income) that they can repay their credit card balance. Unless that requirement is met, one must wait until 21 to be approved for a credit card on their own. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 expands the age that young adults can remain on their parent's health insurance plan up to age 26. As of December 2019 , the federal government raised the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21. In states where recreational marijuana

2520-482: A trans woman may undergo one or more feminizing procedures which result in anatomy that is typically gendered female. Like cisgender women, trans women may have any sexual orientation. Factors that specifically affect the health of women in comparison with men are most evident in those related to reproduction , but sex differences have been identified from the molecular to the behavioral scale. Some of these differences are subtle and difficult to explain, partly due to

2625-550: A university degree make 62% of what similarly qualified men do, a lower rate than in all but three of the 19 countries for which numbers are available. Some Western nations with greater inequality in pay are Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland. Particular religious doctrines have specific stipulations relating to gender roles , social and private interaction between the sexes, appropriate dressing attire for women, and various other issues affecting women and their position in society. In many countries, these religious teachings influence

2730-582: A violation of the legal concept of human rights ; for example, they may outlaw vigilante or individual justice-taking. Thinkers ranging from Plato to Montesquieu have remarked upon the mindset needed for a culture of honour. Historians have examined the culture of honour in the American South . Social scientists have looked at specialised subcultures such as South Asian Muslims in Britain. Others have compared multiple modern nations. From

2835-852: A woman before she has completed her fourteenth year of age, cannot enter a valid marriage". According to The Disappearance of Childhood by Neil Postman , the Christian Church of the Middle Ages considered the age of accountability, when a person could be tried and even executed as an adult, to be age 7. While certain religions have their guidelines on what it means to be an adult, generally speaking, there are trends that occur regarding religiosity as individuals transition from adolescence to adulthood. The role of religion in one's life can impact development during adolescence. The National Library of Medicine (NCBI) highlights some studies that show rates of religiosity declining as people move out of

2940-407: A woman have changed significantly since the early 20th century as women gained more rights and greater representation in the workforce, with scholarship in the 1970s moving toward a focus on the sex–gender distinction and social construction of gender . There are various words used to refer to the quality of being a woman. The term "womanhood" merely means the state of being a woman; " femininity "

3045-401: A young age differed according to gender. Traditionally, middle class women were involved in domestic tasks emphasizing child care. For poorer women, economic necessity compelled them to seek employment outside the home even if individual poor women may have preferred domestic tasks. Many of the occupations that were available to them were lower in pay than those available to men. As changes in

3150-473: Is a consequence of power. Finally, with respect to sexuality, honour has traditionally been associated with (or identical to) "chastity" or "virginity", or in case of married men and women, "fidelity". Some have argued that honour should be seen more as a rhetoric, or set of possible actions, than as a code. Honour as a code of behaviour defines the duties of an individual within a social group. Margaret Visser observes that in an honour-based society "a person

3255-405: Is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos , that manifests itself as a code of conduct , and has various elements such as valour , chivalry , honesty , and compassion . It is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or of institutions such as

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3360-595: Is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Although femininity is socially constructed, some behaviors considered feminine are biologically influenced. The extent to which femininity is biologically or socially influenced is subject to debate. It is distinct from the definition of the biological female sex, as both men and women can exhibit feminine traits. The earliest women whose names are known include: In recent history, gender roles have changed greatly. At some earlier points in history, children's occupational aspirations starting at

3465-419: Is an established biological process, the attainment of adulthood is social in its criteria. In contrast to other perspectives that conceptualize aging and the attainment of adulthood as a largely universal development, regardless of context, nation, generation, gender, race, or social class. Social scientists regard these aspects as paramount in cultural definitions of adulthood. Further evidence of adulthood as

3570-506: Is being used. The time of puberty varies from child to child, but usually begins between 10 and 12 years old. Girls typically begin the process of puberty at age 10 or 11, and boys at age 11 or 12. Girls generally complete puberty by 15–17, and boys by age 16 or 17. Nutrition, genetics and environment also usually play a part in the onset of puberty. Girls will go through a growth spurt and gain weight in several areas of their body. Boys will go through similar spurts in growth, though it

3675-608: Is called gynaecology ("science of women"). Maternal mortality or maternal death is defined by WHO as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes." In 2008, noting that each year more than 500,000 women die of complications of pregnancy and childbirth and at least seven million experience serious health problems while 50 million more have adverse health consequences after childbirth,

3780-438: Is common. In most of the world, the legal adult age is 18 for most purposes, with some notable exceptions: Prior to the 1970s, young people were not classed as adults until 21 in most western nations. For example, in the United States, young citizens could not vote in many elections until 21 until July 1971 when the 26th Amendment passed mandating that the right to vote cannot be abridged for anyone 18 or older. The voting age

3885-438: Is community or individual enforcement of social norms. One way that honour functions is through reputation . In a system where there is no court that will authorise the use of force to guarantee the execution of contracts, an honourable reputation is very valuable to promote trust among transaction partners. To dishonour an agreement could be economically ruinous, because future potential transaction partners might stop trusting

3990-427: Is directly harmed by. The concept of personal honour can be extended to family honour , which strengthens the incentives to follow social norms in two ways. First, the consequences of dishonourable actions (such as suicide or attempted robbery that results in death) outlive the perpetrator, and negatively affect family members they presumably care about. Second, when one member of the family misbehaves, other members of

4095-415: Is due to lower testosterone, which stimulates the production of erythropoietin by the kidney. The normal hematocrit level for a woman is 36% to 48% (for men, 41% to 50%). The normal level of hemoglobin (an oxygen-transport protein found in red blood cells) for women is 12.0 to 15.5 g/dL (for men, 13.5 to 17.5 g/dL). Women's hearts have finer-grained textures in the muscle compared to men's hearts, and

4200-761: Is generally longer than men's. This advantage begins from birth, with newborn girls more likely to survive the first year than boys. Worldwide, women live six to eight years longer than men. However, this varies by place and situation. For example, discrimination against women has lowered female life expectancy in some parts of Asia so that men there live longer than women. The difference in life expectancy are believed to be partly due to biological advantages and partly due to gendered behavioral differences between men and women. For example, women are less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors like smoking and reckless driving , and consequently have fewer preventable premature deaths from such causes. In some developed countries,

4305-413: Is having self-focus. Emerging adults, being away from their parental and societal routines, are now able to do what they want when they want and where they want before they are put back into a routine when they start a marriage, family, and career. Arnett's last feature of emerging adulthood, an age of possibilities, characterizes this stage as one where "optimism reigns". These individuals believe they have

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4410-484: Is legalized, the default age is also 21, though those younger may be able to obtain medical marijuana prescriptions or cards upon seeing a physician. Gambling also varies from 18 to 21 depending on the state and many rental car companies do not rent cars to those under 21 and have surcharges for drivers under 25 (although this is not codified, and is company policy). In Quebec, Canada the Quebec legislature in 2020 raised

4515-546: Is often controversial . Some intersex conditions are associated with typical rates of female gender identity , while others are associated with substantially higher rates of identifying as LGBT compared compared to the general population. Female sexuality and attraction are variable, and a woman's sexual behavior can be affected by many factors, including evolved predispositions , personality , upbringing , and culture . While most women are heterosexual , significant minorities are lesbian or bisexual . Most cultures use

4620-483: Is the requirement of supervision by a legal guardian , or just by an adult. Sometimes there is no requirement, but rather a recommendation. Using the example of pornography, one can distinguish between: With regard to films with violence, etc.: The age of majority ranges internationally from ages 15 to 21, with 18 being the most common age. Nigeria , Mali , Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon define adulthood at age 15, but marriage of girls at an earlier age

4725-461: Is used to refer to a set of typical female qualities associated with a certain attitude to gender roles ; "womanliness" is like "femininity", but is usually associated with a different view of gender roles. "Distaff" is an archaic adjective derived from women's conventional role as a spinner, now used only as a deliberate archaism . Menarche, the onset of menstruation , occurs on average at age 12–13. Many cultures have rites of passage to symbolize

4830-510: Is usually not in a similar style or time frame. This is due to the natural processes of puberty, but genetics also plays a part in how much weight they gain or how much taller they get. One recent area of debate within the science of brain development is the most likely chronological age for full mental maturity , or indeed, if such an age even exists. Common claims repeated in the media since 2005 (based upon interpretations of imaging data) have commonly suggested an "end-point" of 25, referring to

4935-399: Is what he or she is in the eyes of other people". A code of honour differs from a legal code, also socially defined and concerned with justice, in that honour remains implicit rather than explicit and objectified. One can distinguish honour from dignity , which Wordsworth assessed as measured against an individual's conscience rather than against the judgement of a community. Compare also

5040-469: The Norman Conquest , man began to mean ' male human ' , and by the late 13th century it had largely replaced wer . The consonants /f/ and /m/ in wīfmann coalesced into the modern woman , while wīf narrowed to specifically mean a married woman ( ' wife ' ). It is a popular misconception that the term "woman" is etymologically connected to "womb". "Womb" derives from

5145-775: The criminal law , or the family law of those jurisdictions (see Sharia law , for example). The relation between religion, law and gender equality has been discussed by international organizations. The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women defines "violence against women" as: any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. Adult Human adulthood encompasses psychological adult development . Definitions of adulthood are often inconsistent and contradictory;

5250-639: The heart muscle 's overall shape and surface area also differs to men's when controlling for body size and age. In addition, women's hearts age more slowly compared to men's hearts. Girls are born slightly less frequently than boys (the ratio is around 1:1.05). Out of the total human population in 2015, there were 1018 men for every 1000 women. Intersex women have an intersex condition, usually defined as those born with ambiguous genitalia . Most individuals with ambiguous genitalia are assigned female at birth, and most intersex women are cisgender . The medical practices to assign binary female to intersex youth

5355-563: The virginity of singles and to the exclusive monogamy of the remainder of the population. Further conceptions of this type of honour vary widely between cultures; some cultures regard honour killings of (mostly female) members of one's own family as justified if the individuals have "defiled the family's honour" by marrying against the family's wishes, usually for reasons such as refusing to enter an arranged marriage, having sex outside marriage, dressing in ways which are deemed inappropriate, or engaging in homosexual relations or even by becoming

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5460-420: The 1970s, many female academics, including scientists, avoided having children. Throughout the 1980s, institutions tried to equalize conditions for men and women in the workplace. Even so, the inequalities at home hampered women's opportunities: professional women were still generally considered responsible for domestic labor and child care, which limited the time and energy they could devote to their careers. Until

5565-508: The Industrial Revolution, children went to work as soon as they could in order to help provide for their family. There was not a huge emphasis on school or education in general. Many children could get a job and were not required to have experience as adults are nowadays. Adulthood, in more recent years, as it has been studied has developed a characteristic list, that goes far beyond just ones physical maturity. These markers for

5670-518: The Old English word wamb meaning ' belly, uterus ' (cognate to the modern German colloquial term " Wamme " from Old High German wamba for ' belly, paunch, lap ' ). The word woman can be used generally, to mean any female human, or specifically, to mean an adult female human as contrasted with girl . The word girl originally meant "young person of either sex" in English; it

5775-467: The State of Washington tossed the life without parole sentences of a 19-year-old and a 20-year-old convicted in separate cases of first-degree aggravated murder decades ago, saying, as with juveniles, the court must first consider the age of those under 21 before sentencing them to die behind bars. This comes at a time where there are ongoing debates about whether those between 18 and 20 should be exempted from

5880-618: The US ranked 12th of the 14 developed countries that were analyzed and since that time the death rates of every country have steadily improved while the US rate has spiked dramatically. While the others that were analyzed in 1990 show a 2017 death rate of fewer than 10 deaths per every 100,000 live births, the U.S. rate rose to 26.4. Furthermore, for every one of the 700 to 900 women who die in the U.S. each year during pregnancy or childbirth, 70 experience significant complications, totaling more than one percent of all births. The life expectancy for women

5985-932: The World Health Organization urged midwife training to strengthen maternal and newborn health services. To support the upgrading of midwifery skills the WHO established a midwife training program, Action for Safe Motherhood. In 2017, 94% of maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries. Approximately 86% of maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia , with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for around 66% and Southern Asia accounting for around 20%. The main causes of maternal mortality include pre-eclampsia and eclampsia , unsafe abortion , pregnancy complications from malaria and HIV/AIDS , and severe bleeding and infections following childbirth. Most European countries, Australia, Japan, and Singapore are very safe in regard to childbirth. In 1990,

6090-546: The ability to pursue higher education. Violence against women , whether within families or in communities, has a long history and is primarily committed by men. Some women are denied reproductive rights . The movements and ideologies of feminism have a shared goal of achieving gender equality . Transgender women were assigned male at birth and have a female gender identity , while intersex women have sex characteristics that do not fit typical notions of female biology. The spelling of woman in English has progressed over

6195-462: The accessory glands ( Bartholin's and Skene's ), two pairs of glands that help lubricate during intercourse, and the vagina , an organ used in copulating and birthing. The vulva (external female genitalia) consists of the clitoris , labia majora , labia minora and vestibule . The vestibule is where the vaginal and urethral openings are located. The mammary glands are hypothesized to have evolved from apocrine-like glands to produce milk,

6300-497: The age of 16 although they cannot purchase spirits or hard liquor until 18. The age of consent in Germany is 14 if both partners are under 18. Sexual activity with a person under 18 is punishable if the adult is a person of authority over the minor in upbringing, education, care, or employment. In contrast to biological perspectives of aging and adulthood, social scientists conceptualize adulthood as socially constructed. While aging

6405-445: The age of 30 years, marking this interpretation as incorrect and outdated. Legally, adulthood typically means that one has reached the age of majority – when parents lose parental rights and responsibilities regarding the person concerned. Depending on one's jurisdiction, the age of majority may or may not be set independently of and should not be confused with the minimum ages applicable to other activities, such as engaging in

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6510-464: The age one could purchase recreational marijuana from 18 to 21 stepping out of line with most of the country that set a minimum age of 19 (except Alberta, which is 18.) The Quebec government cited the risk that marijuana poses to the brain development of people under 21 as justification for the age raise. In March 2021, the state of Washington in a 5–4 decision, justices in the Supreme Court of

6615-505: The age that one can buy tobacco from 18 to 21 in an attempt to curb teen and young adult use to get to a "smoke-free" UK by 2030. All of these laws made over the years reflect the growing awareness that young adults, while not children, are still in a transitional stage between adolescence and full adulthood and that there should be policy adjustments or restrictions where necessary, especially where it pertains to activities that carry certain degrees of risk or harm to themselves or others. At

6720-424: The aid of their parents or guardians to fully mature. Sometimes humans have multiple births , most commonly twins . Usually between ages 49–52, a woman reaches menopause , the time when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Unlike most other mammals, the human lifespan usually extends many years after menopause. Many women become grandmothers and contribute to

6825-442: The care of grandchildren and other family members. Many biologists believe that the extended human lifespan is evolutionarily driven by kin selection , though other theories have also been proposed. In terms of biology , the female sex organs are involved in the reproductive system, whereas the secondary sex characteristics are involved in breastfeeding children and attracting a mate. Humans are placental mammals , which means

6930-530: The cells of female humans contain two X chromosomes, while the cells of male humans have an X and a Y chromosome. During early fetal development , all embryos have phenotypically female genitalia up until week 6 or 7, when a male embryo's gonads differentiate into testes due to the action of the SRY gene on the Y chromosome. Sex differentiation proceeds in female humans in a way that is independent of gonadal hormones. Because humans inherit mitochondrial DNA only from

7035-491: The concept of honour from his own feudal society to postulate God's honour. An emphasis on the importance of honour exists in such traditional institutions as the military (serving officers may conduct a court of honour ) and in organisations with a military ethos, such as Scouting organisations (which also feature "Courts of Honour" ). Honour in the case of sexuality frequently relates, historically, to fidelity : preservation of "honour" equates primarily to maintenance of

7140-486: The death penalty. In Germany, courts largely sentence defendants under the age of 21 according to juvenile law in a bid to help them reintegrate into society and mete out punishments that fit the crime as well as the offender. In May 2021, the state of Texas raised the age that one can be an exotic dancer and work and patronize sexually oriented businesses from 18 to 21. In the UK, there have been many proposals to raise

7245-434: The development of female secondary sexual characteristics , such as breasts and hips . As a result of estrogens, during puberty , girls develop breasts and their hips widen. Working against estrogen, the presence of testosterone in a pubescent female inhibits breast development and promotes muscle and facial hair development. Women have lower hematocrit (the volume percentage of red blood cells in blood) than men; this

7350-491: The drinking age (with most states having a minimum age of 18 or 19) and also to lower the age of legal majority (adulthood) to 18. However, there are legal activities where 18 is not the default age of adulthood. There are still some exceptions where 21 (or even higher) is still the benchmark for certain rights or responsibilities. For example, in the US the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits those under 21 from purchasing

7455-472: The early 20th century, U.S. women's colleges required their women faculty members to remain single, on the grounds that a woman could not carry on two full-time professions at once. According to Schiebinger, "Being a scientist and a wife and a mother is a burden in society that expects women more often than men to put family ahead of career." (p. 93). Movements advocate equality of opportunity for both sexes and equal rights irrespective of gender. Through

7560-417: The eggs with sperm , via either sexual intercourse or artificial insemination , though in vitro fertilization allows fertilization to occur outside the human body. Humans are similar to other large mammals in that they usually give birth to a single offspring per pregnancy, but are unusual in being altricial compared to most other large mammals, meaning young are undeveloped at time of birth and require

7665-716: The fact that it is difficult to separate the health effects of inherent biological factors from the effects of the surrounding environment they exist in. Sex chromosomes and hormones, as well as sex-specific lifestyles, metabolism, immune system function, and sensitivity to environmental factors are believed to contribute to sex differences in health at the levels of physiology, perception, and cognition. Women can have distinct responses to drugs and thresholds for diagnostic parameters. Some diseases primarily affect or are exclusively found in women, such as lupus , breast cancer , cervical cancer , or ovarian cancer . The medical practice dealing with female reproduction and reproductive organs

7770-419: The family are in the position to and are incentivised to strongly enforce the community norms. In strong honour cultures, those who do not conform may be forced or pressured into conformance and transgressors punished physically or psychologically. The use of violence may be collective in its character, where many relatives act together. An extreme form of punishment is honour killing . Dueling and vengeance at

7875-548: The herding of animals dominates an economy. In this situation, the geography is usually extensive, since the soil cannot support intensive sustained farming and thus large populations; the benefit of stealing animals from other herds is high, since animals are the main form of wealth; and there is no central law-enforcement or rule of law . However, cultures of honour can also appear in places like modern inner-city slums . The three conditions exist here as well: lack of resources (poverty); crime and theft have high rewards, compared to

7980-643: The house and live on their own. Oftentimes when people live on their own, they change their life goals and religion tends to be less important as they discover who they are. Other studies from the NCBI show that as adults get married and have children they settle down, and as they do, there tends to be an increase in religiosity. Everyone's level of religiosity builds at a different pace, meaning that religion relative to adult development varies across cultures and time. Honor Honour ( Commonwealth English ) or honor ( American English ; see spelling differences )

8085-474: The labor market for women came about, availability of employment changed from only "dirty", long hour factory jobs to "cleaner", more respectable office jobs where more education was demanded. Married women's participation in the U.S. labor force rose from 5.6–6% in 1900 to 23.8% in 1923. These shifts in the labor force led to changes in the attitudes towards women at work, allowing for the revolution which resulted in women becoming career and education oriented. In

8190-502: The lack of a present, or functioning, SRY gene on either one of the respective sex chromosomes. Female anatomy is distinguished from male anatomy by the female reproductive system , which includes the ovaries , fallopian tubes , uterus , vagina , and vulva . An adult woman generally has a wider pelvis , broader hips , and larger breasts than an adult man . These characteristics facilitate childbirth and breastfeeding . Women typically have less facial and other body hair, have

8295-1138: The life expectancy is evening out. This is believed to caused both by worse health behaviors among women, especially an increased rate of smoking tobacco by women , and improved health among men, such as less cardiovascular disease . The World Health Organization (WHO) writes that it is "important to note that the extra years of life for women are not always lived in good health." Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health . The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics has stated that: The World Health Organization reports that based on data from 2010 to 2014, 56 million induced abortions occurred worldwide each year (25% of all pregnancies). Of those, about 25 million were considered as unsafe . The WHO reports that in developed regions about 30 women die for every 100,000 unsafe abortions and that number rises to 220 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions in developing regions and 520 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions in sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO ascribes these deaths to: Femininity (also called womanliness or girlishness )

8400-506: The life stage of emerging adulthood. The first feature, identity exploration, describes emerging adults making decisions for themselves about their career, education, and love life. This is a time of life when a young person has yet to finalize these decisions but are pondering them, making them feel somewhere in between adolescent and adult. This leads into a second feature of this phase of life—feeling in between. Emerging adults feel that they are taking on responsibilities but do not feel like

8505-664: The modern West ; conscience has replaced it in the individual context, and the rule of law (with the rights and duties defined therein) has taken over in a social context. Popular stereotypes would have it surviving more definitively in more tradition-bound cultures (e.g. Pashtun , Southern Italian , Polish , Persian , Turkish , Arab , Iberian , " Old South " or Dixie ) in a perception akin to Orientalism . Pre-modern societies may tend to "honour" more than do contemporary industrial societies. Saint Anselm of Canterbury ( c.  1033–1109 ) in Cur Deus Homo extended

8610-425: The mother carries the fetus in the uterus and the placenta facilitates the exchange of nutrients and waste between the mother and fetus. The internal female genitalia consist of the ovaries , gonads that produce female gametes called ova , the fallopian tubes , tubular structures that transport the egg cells, the uterus , an organ with tissue to protect and nurture the developing fetus and its cervix to expel it,

8715-620: The mother's ovum, genealogical researchers can trace maternal lineage far back in time. Female puberty triggers bodily changes that enable sexual reproduction via fertilization . In response to chemical signals from the pituitary gland , the ovaries secrete hormones that stimulate maturation of the body, including increased height and weight, body hair growth, breast development and menarche (the onset of menstruation). Most girls go through menarche between ages 12–13, and are then capable of becoming pregnant and bearing children . Pregnancy generally requires internal fertilization of

8820-472: The party not to lie, steal their money or goods, not repay debts, mistreat the children they marry off, have children with other people, abandon their children, or fail to provide aid when needed. A dishonourable person might be shunned by the community as a way to punish bad behaviour and create an incentive for others to maintain their honour. If one's honour is questioned, it can thus be important to disprove any false accusations or slander . In some cultures,

8925-496: The past millennium from wīfmann to wīmmann to wumman , and finally, the modern spelling woman . In Old English , mann had the gender-neutral meaning of ' human ' , akin to the Modern ' person ' or ' someone ' . The word for ' woman ' was wīf or wīfmann ( lit.   ' woman-person ' ) whereas ' man ' was wer or wǣpnedmann (from wǣpn ' weapon; penis ' ). However, following

9030-424: The person to immoral behavior, or because of the risk that the young person causes damage (for example, at an exhibition of fragile items). One can distinguish the legality of acts of a young person, or of enabling a young person to carry out that act, by selling, renting out, showing, permitting entrance, allowing participation, etc. There may be distinction between commercially and socially enabling. Sometimes there

9135-455: The practice of dueling arose as a means to settle such disputes firmly, though by physical dominance in force or skill rather than by objective consideration of evidence and facts. Honour can also imply duty to perform certain actions, such as providing for and disciplining one's children, serving in the military during war, contributing to local collective projects like building infrastructure, or exacting revenge in retaliation for acts one

9240-407: The prefrontal cortex as one area that is not yet fully mature at the age of 18. However, this is based on an interpretation of a brain imaging study by Jay Giedd, dating back to 2004 or 2005, where the only participants were aged up to 21 years, and Giedd assumed this maturing process would be done by the age of 25 years, whereas more recent studies show prefrontal cortex maturation continuing well past

9345-563: The reach of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Mounties) seem to inherit a violent code of honour that drives their behaviour. Historian Norman Risjord emphasised the importance of honour as a cause of the War of 1812 , which the United States launched against Britain despite Britain's much more powerful naval and military strength. Americans of every political stripe saw the need to uphold national honour, and to reject

9450-403: The right to vote in school board elections. There is a growing movement to lower the voting age in the US and many other countries from 18 to 16 in hopes of engaging the youth vote and encouraging greater electoral participation. Some countries already have a voting age of 16 which include Austria, Scotland, Argentina, Brazil, Wales, Cuba, and Ecuador. In Germany, one can purchase beer and wine at

9555-492: The same time, however, even though the generally accepted age of majority is 18 in most nations, there are rights or privileges afforded to adolescents who have not yet reached legal adulthood. In the United States, youth are able to get a part-time job at 14 provided they have a work permit. At 16, one is able to obtain a driver's permit or license depending on state laws and is able to work most jobs (except ones requiring heavy machinery) and consent to sexual activity (depending on

9660-508: The sociological concept of "face" . In the early medieval period, a lord's or lady's honour was the group of manors or lands he or she held. "The word was first used indicating an estate which gave its holder dignity and status." For a person to say "on my honour" was not just an affirmation of his or her integrity and rank, but the veracity behind that phrase meant he or she was willing to offer up estates as pledge and guarantee. The concept of honour appears to have declined in importance in

9765-429: The start of puberty (the appearance of secondary sex characteristics such as menstruation and the development of breasts in women, ejaculation , the development of facial hair, and a deeper voice in men, and pubic hair in both sexes). In the past, a person usually moved from the status of child directly to the status of adult, often with this shift being marked by some type of coming-of-age test or ceremony. During

9870-570: The state). At 17, one is able to enlist in the armed forces with parental consent although they cannot be deployed to be in combat roles until age 18. The voting age for local elections in most American cities is 18. But in five localities nationwide — four of which are in Maryland — 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to vote. The cities are Takoma Park, Riverdale, Greenbelt, and Hyattsville. In 2020, students 16 or older in Oakland, California gained

9975-533: The strongest praise for America and swiftest recognition of what the young republic had achieved for American honor, prestige, and power came from within British naval circles." Britain refrained from interfering with American maritime interests and ceased with the impressment of American citizens following the war. A 2016 study suggests that honour culture increases the risk of war. The study found that international conflicts under U.S. presidents who were raised in

10080-489: The treatment of the United States by Britain as a third class nonentity. Americans talked incessantly about the need for force in response. This quest for honour was a major cause of the war in the sense that most Americans who were not involved in mercantile interests or threatened by Indian attack strongly endorsed the preservation of national honour. The humiliating attack by HMS Leopard against USS Chesapeake in June 1807

10185-565: The very limited alternatives; and law enforcement is generally lax or corrupt. Once a culture of honour exists in a society, its members find it difficult to make the transition to a culture of law, which requires that people become willing to back down and refuse to immediately retaliate. From the viewpoint of the culture of honour, the perceived humiliation of such an action makes personal restraint extremely difficult, as it reflects weakness and appeasement. One paper finds that present-day Canadians born in communities that historically lay outside

10290-534: The victims of rape . Western observers generally see these honour killings as a way of men using the culture of honour to control female sexuality. Skinners , executioners , grave-diggers , shepherds , barber-surgeons , millers , linen-weavers , sow-gelders, latrine-cleaners , bailiffs and their families were among the "dishonourable people" ( unehrliche Leute ) in early modern German society. Various sociologists and anthropologists have contrasted cultures of honour with cultures of law. A culture of law has

10395-582: The viewpoint of anthropologists, cultures of honour typically appear among nomadic peoples and among herdsmen who carry their most valuable property with them and risk having it stolen, without having recourse to law enforcement or to government . Due to the lack of strong institutions, cultivating a reputation for swift and disproportionate revenge increases the safety of one's person and property against aggressive actors. According to Richard Nisbett, cultures of honour will often arise when three conditions exist: Historically, cultures of honour exist where

10500-408: The word adult is the period beginning at physical sexual maturity, which occurs sometime after the onset of puberty. Although this is the primary definition of the base word "adult", the term is also frequently used to refer to social adults. The two-word term biological adult stresses or clarifies that the original definition, based on physical maturity (i.e. having reached reproductive competency),

10605-430: The word girl (or its equivalent in other languages) is still used to refer to a never-married woman; in this sense it is used in a fashion roughly analogous to the more-or-less obsolete English maid or maiden . Different countries have different laws, but age 18 is frequently considered the age of majority (the age at which a person is legally considered an adult). The social sciences' views on what it means to be

10710-536: Was a decisive event. Historians documented the importance of honour in shaping public opinion in a number of states, including Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, as well as the territory of Michigan. Americans widely celebrated the conclusion of the war as successful, especially after the spectacular defeat of the main British invasion army at New Orleans restored the American sense of honour. The British showed respect for American honour. "Some of

10815-401: Was done in response to reducing the number of drunk driving fatalities prevalent among young drivers. States that choose not to comply can lose up to 10% of highway funding. The Credit Card Act of 2009 imposed tougher safeguards for young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 obtaining a credit card. Young adults under the age of 21 must either have a co-signer 21 or older or show proof (usually

10920-484: Was lowered in response to the fact that young men between the ages of 18 and 21 were drafted into the army to fight in the Vietnam War, hence the popular slogan "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" Young people under 21 in the US could also not purchase alcohol, purchase handguns, sign a binding contract, or marry without permission from parents. After the voting age was lowered, many states also moved to lower

11025-501: Was only around the beginning of the 16th century that it came to mean specifically a female child. The term girl is sometimes used colloquially to refer to a young or unmarried woman; however, during the early 1970s, feminists challenged such use because the use of the word to refer to a fully grown woman may cause offence. In particular, previously common terms such as office girl are no longer widely used. Conversely, in certain cultures which link family honor with female virginity ,

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