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When it's time for the sex talk, words matter
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

When it's time for the sex talk, words matter

Austin T Robinson, Megan M Wenner, Kanokwan Bunsawat, Joseph C Watso, Gabrielle E W Giersch and Nisha Charkoudian
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, Vol.322(1), pp.H66-H70
01/01/2022
DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00556.2021
PMCID: PMC8698506
PMID: 34797173

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Abstract

In recent years, the traditional, unspoken assumption in published biomedical research studies that the young, healthy (usually white) male is the "default human" has received increasing scrutiny and criticism. The historical underrepresentation of female participants in biomedical research has been increasingly recognized and addressed, including with the current call for papers at the . Our goal in the present Perspectives is to discuss the topic of terminology (man/woman vs. male/female) for human research participants when considering sex as a biological variable. This important consideration is consistent with the importance of gender identity and related topics to psychological, emotional, and physical health. Just as pronouns are important, so is appropriate terminology when referring to human research volunteers. Despite some disagreement regarding terminology between our two groups of authors, we provide consensus recommendations. Importantly, we all agree that the most vital aspect of the present discussion is the broader focus on sex as a biological variable and appropriate inclusion of biological sex in in vitro, preclinical, and human research studies.
 Humans Periodicals as Topic - standards Physiology - standards Practice Guidelines as Topic Sex Characteristics Terminology as Topic

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