2026/07/01 by Tim Janicke, Göran Arnqvist, Pierre‐André Crochet +10 · 1 voice
Psychology · Medicine · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Sex and Gender in Healthcare #Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
paper · doi:10.1111/ele.70426
openalex publication_date 2026/07/01 · openalex created_date 2026/07/11 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The definition of biological sex has become a renewed focus of societal debate, fuelled by the conflation of biological principles with discussions of human gender diversity. Here, we argue that conceptual clarity critically depends on separating these domains. Drawing on evolutionary theory and empirical evidence, we maintain that biological sex is best defined as a binary classification of male and female reproductive strategies rooted in anisogamy, characterised by the production of two discrete gamete types of different sizes. We stress that gamete size constitutes the ultimate criterion for biological sex and that this definition applies consistently across sexual systems, from separate-sexed species to hermaphrodites, irrespective of variation in karyotype, hormonal profile, somatic phenotype, or behaviour. Further, we emphasise that evolutionary insights offer a coherent explanation for recurring, though not universal, associations between biological sex and patterns of sex-specific selection, sexual dimorphism and parental care. We conclude that the definition of biological sex as a binary classification based on gamete size is a powerful scientific framework compatible with the diversity of sexual phenotypes found in anisogamous organisms and distinct from the concept of human gender.