Research has documented considerable population variation in sexual dimorphism related to human growth and development. This variation represents both genetic and environmental factors which impact methodologies used to estimate sex from human skeletal remains. This article provides an overview of known variation in skeletal sexual dimorphism among populations through documented research on samples from around the world. Variation in juvenile growth patterns of populations and differences in adult skeletal size and characteristics are discussed. This recognized variation should be considered by forensic anthropologists when estimating sex from skeletal remains and appropriate population-specific data should be utilized.
