Question

In India, many people believe that the woman is responsible for the sex determination of the child. Which of the following facts dismissed this notion?

• A. Sex determination in humans depends upon the environment
• B. The chances of getting a male child is higher if the female is healthy
• C. The Y chromosome is found only in males and hence a woman cannot control the sex of a child
• D. The chance of getting a female child is higher if the male is healthy

Answer 1

The correct option is C The Y chromosome is found only in males and hence a woman cannot control the sex of a child

The chance of having a male or a female child is 50-50%. It is in fact a matter of chance. Both males and females have 44 autosomes and differ in their sex chromosome makeup. Females have two X sex chromosomes (44+XX) whereas males have one X and one Y chromosome each (44+XY). The genotype of gametes produced by females will be 22+X only, whereas that by a male will be either 22+X or 22+Y. So, the chances of inheritance of the Y - chromosome or the 22+Y gamete is 50%. Thus, the sex of child depends on the Y chromosome of the males. In India, women have over centuries been wrongly victimised for giving birth to male child but today the knowledge of genetics disproves this notion.