Posted: June 13th, 2022

Sex Chromosomes in Determining Sex

Sex Chromosomes in Determining Sex
A sex chromosome is a type of chromosome that determines the sex of a child. There are two types of sex chromosomes, including X and Y (Colaco & Modi, 2018). Females inherit an X chromosome from the father to form XX, while males adopt a Y chromosome from the father to develop XY (Colaco & Modi, 2018). Mothers only pass the X chromosome while fathers pass the Y chromosome. The biological default is female development, but the Y chromosome from the father determines whether a child will be a male or female (Brown et al., 2020). The determination of male or female occurs during cell subdivision in the early stages of embryo development.
Knowledge about the X and Y chromosome is critical in understanding the factors determining the gender of a child. The gender is determined by the father’s Y chromosome (Colaco & Modi, 2018). The information is critical in addressing various myths about how children become male or female. Some communities believe it is a matter of luck, while others indicate that people who give birth to females have weak genes. Communities tend to undermine couples who have boys or girls depending on the community’s perceptions.
The information is critical in understanding the role of fathers in the determination of a child’s sex. However, it is essential to know that some females may have XY chromosomes which can trigger high characteristics of being a male. Some girls with XY chromosomes can give birth, but genetically they are male (Brown et al., 2020). Girls with XY chromosomes experience androgen insensitivity syndrome (Brown et al., 2020). The information provides insights into females’ habits or sexual characteristics with XY chromosomes.

References
Brown, E. J., Nguyen, A. H., & Bachtrog, D. (2020). The Y chromosome may contribute to sex-specific ageing in Drosophila. Nature ecology & evolution, 4(6), 853-862.
Colaco, S., & Modi, D. (2018). Genetics of the human Y chromosome and its association with male infertility. Reproductive biology and endocrinology, 16(1), 1-24.