Feminism

<h2 ><b >Female</b> (♀) is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender" title="Gender" >sex</a> of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organism" title="Organism" >organism</a>, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovum" title="Ovum" >ova</a> (egg cells).</h2>

<h2 >Defining characteristics</h2>

<p >The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovum" title="Ovum" >ova</a> are defined as the larger <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamete" title="Gamete" >gametes</a> in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterogamous" title="Heterogamous" class="mw-redirect" >heterogamous</a> reproduction system, while the smaller, usually <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motile" title="Motile" class="mw-redirect" >motile</a> gamete, the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermatozoon" title="Spermatozoon" >spermatozoon</a>, is produced by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male" title="Male" >male</a>. A female individual cannot reproduce <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_reproduction" title="Sexual reproduction" >sexually</a> without access to the gametes of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male" title="Male" >male</a> (an exception is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis" title="Parthenogenesis" >parthenogenesis</a>). Some organisms can reproduce both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_reproduction" title="Sexual reproduction" >sexually</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asexual_reproduction" title="Asexual reproduction" >asexually</a>.

There is no single <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics" title="Genetics" >genetic</a> mechanism behind sex differences in different species and the existence of two sexes seems to have <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution" title="Evolution" >evolved</a>multiple times independently in different <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineage_(evolution)" title="Lineage (evolution)" >evolutionary lineages</a><sup class="Template-Fact" >[<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" >citation needed</a></i>]</sup>. Patterns of sexual reproduction include</p>

<ul >

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isogamy" title="Isogamy" >isogamous</a> species with two or more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mating_type" title="Mating type" >mating types</a> with gametes of identical form and behavior (but different at the molecular level),</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisogamy" title="Anisogamy" >anisogamous</a> species with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamete" title="Gamete" >gametes</a> of male and female types,</li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oogamy" title="Oogamy" >oogamous</a> species in which the female gamete is very much larger than the male and has no ability to move. There is an argument that this pattern was driven by the physical constraints on the mechanisms by which two gametes get together as required for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_reproduction" title="Sexual reproduction" >sexual reproduction</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup></li>

</ul>

<p >Other than the defining difference in the type of gamete produced, differences between males and females in one lineage cannot always be predicted by differences in another. The concept is not limited to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal" title="Animal" >animals</a>; egg cells are produced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chytrid" title="Chytrid" class="mw-redirect" >chytrids</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom" title="Diatom" >diatoms</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_mould" title="Water mould" class="mw-redirect" >water moulds</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant" title="Plant" >land plants</a>, among others. In land plants, <i>female</i> and <i>male</i> designate not only the egg- and sperm-producing organisms and structures, but also the structures of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporophyte" title="Sporophyte" >sporophytes</a> that give rise to male and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_plant" title="Female plant" class="mw-redirect" >female plants</a>.</p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Etymology and usage" >edit</a>]Etymology and usage</h2>

<p >The word <b>female</b> comes from the Latin <i>femella</i>, the diminutive form of <i>femina</i>, meaning "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman" title="Woman" >woman</a>," which is not etymologically related to the word <i>male</i>. In the late 14th century, the spelling was altered in English to parallel the spelling of <i>male</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female#cite_note-1" >[2]</a></sup></p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Mammalian female" >edit</a>]Mammalian female</h2>

<p >A distinguishing characteristic of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_(biology)" title="Class (biology)" >class</a> <i>Mammalia</i> is the presence of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammary_gland" title="Mammary gland" >mammary glands</a>. The mammary glands are modified sweat glands that produce <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk" title="Milk" >milk</a>, which is used to feed the young for some time after birth. Only mammals <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactation" title="Lactation" >produce milk</a>. Mammary glands are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast#Other_suggested_functions" title="Breast" >most obvious</a> in<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humans" title="Humans" class="mw-redirect" >humans</a>, as the female human body stores large amounts of fatty tissue near the nipples, resulting in prominent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast" title="Breast" >breasts</a>. Today some human females also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_implant" title="Breast implant" >surgically augment</a> their breast size. However, mammary glands are present in all mammals, although they are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestigial_organ" title="Vestigial organ" class="mw-redirect" >vestigial</a> in the male of the species.

The mammalian female has two copies of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_chromosome" title="X chromosome" >X chromosome</a> as opposed to the male which carries only one X and one smaller <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_chromosome" title="Y chromosome" >Y chromosome</a>. To compensate for the difference in size, one of the female's X chromosomes is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-inactivation" title="X-inactivation" >randomly inactivated</a> in each cell. In birds and reptiles, by contrast, it is the female who is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterozygous" title="Heterozygous" class="mw-redirect" >heterozygous</a> and carries a Z and a W chromosome whilst the male carries two Z chromosomes.

Mammalian females bear live young (with the rare exception of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotremes" title="Monotremes" class="mw-redirect" >monotremes</a>, which lay eggs). Some non-mammalian species, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guppy" title="Guppy" >guppies</a>, have analogous reproductive structures; and some other non-mammals, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark" title="Shark" >sharks</a>, whose eggs hatch inside their bodies, also have the appearance of bearing live young.</p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Symbol" >edit</a>]Symbol</h2>

<p >A common symbol used to represent the female sex is ♀ (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode" title="Unicode" >Unicode</a>: U+2640 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt_codes" title="Alt codes" class="mw-redirect" >Alt codes</a>: Alt+12), a circle with a small cross underneath. According to Schott<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female#cite_note-2" >[3]</a></sup>, the most established view is that the male and female symbols "are derived from contractions in Greek script of the Greek names of these planets, namely Thouros (Mars) and Phosphoros (Venus). These derivations have been traced by Renkama<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female#cite_note-3" >[4]</a></sup> who illustrated how Greek letters can be transformed into the graphic male and female symbols still recognised today." Thouros was abbreviated by θρ, and Phosphoros by Φκ, which were contracted into the modern symbols.</p>

<h2 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Sex determination" >edit</a>]Sex determination</h2>

<div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle" >Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex-determination_system" title="Sex-determination system" >Sex-determination system</a></div>

<p >The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex" title="Sex" >sex</a> of a particular organism may be determined by a number of factors. These may be genetic or environmental, or may naturally change during the course of an organism's life. Although most species with male and female sexes have individuals that are either male or female,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphrodite" title="Hermaphrodite" >hermaphroditic</a> animals have both male and female reproductive organs.</p>

<h3 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Genetic determination" >edit</a>]Genetic determination</h3>

<p >The sex of most <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal" title="Mammal" >mammals</a>, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human" title="Human" >humans</a>, is genetically determined by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_sex-determination_system" title="XY sex-determination system" >XY sex-determination system</a> where males have X and Y (as opposed to X and X) sex <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome" title="Chromosome" >chromosomes</a>. During <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproduction" title="Reproduction" >reproduction</a>, the male contributes either an X sperm or a Y sperm, while the female always contributes an X egg. A Y sperm and an X egg produce a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy" title="Boy" >boy</a>, while an X sperm and an X egg produce a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl" title="Girl" >girl</a>. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZW_sex-determination_system" title="ZW sex-determination system" >ZW sex-determination system</a>, where males have ZZ (as opposed to ZW) sex chromosomes, is found in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird" title="Bird" >birds</a> and some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect" title="Insect" >insects</a> and other organisms. Members of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera" title="Hymenoptera" >Hymenoptera</a>, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant" title="Ant" >ants</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee" title="Bee" >bees</a>, are determined by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplodiploidy" title="Haplodiploidy" class="mw-redirect" >haplodiploidy</a>, where most males are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haploid" title="Haploid" class="mw-redirect" >haploid</a> and females and some sterile males are<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diploid" title="Diploid" class="mw-redirect" >diploid</a>.</p>

<h3 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Female&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Environmental determination" >edit</a>]Environmental determination</h3>

<p >The young of some species develop into one sex or the other depending on local environmental conditions, e.g. many crocodilians' sex is influenced by the temperature of their eggs. Other species (such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goby" title="Goby" >goby</a>) can transform, as adults, from one sex to the other in response to local reproductive conditions (such as a shortage of males).</p>

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<td class="mbox-text" >Look up <i><b><a class="external text" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/female" >female</a></b></i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.</td>

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</tbody></table>

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<td class="mbox-text" >Wikimedia Commons has media related to: <i><b><a class="external text" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Females" >Females</a></b></i></td>

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</tbody></table>

<ul >

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakini" title="Dakini" >Dakini</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femininity" title="Femininity" >Femininity</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminine_side" title="Feminine side" class="mw-redirect" >Feminine side</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestation" title="Gestation" >Gestation</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactation" title="Lactation" >Lactation</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transwoman" title="Transwoman" class="mw-redirect" >Transwoman</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transman" title="Transman" class="mw-redirect" >Transman</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman" title="Woman" >Woman</a></li>

<li ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womyn" title="Womyn" >Womyn</a></li>

</ul>