A
woman is a
female human. The term
woman is usually reserved for an
adult, with the term
girl being the usual term for a female
child or
adolescent. The term
woman is also sometimes used to identify a female human, regardless of age, as in phrases such as "
women's rights". "Woman" may also refer to a person's
gender identity. Women with typical genetic development are usually capable of giving
birth from
puberty until
menopause. In the context of gender identity,
transgender people who are biologically
determined to be
male and identify as women cannot give birth. Some
intersex people who identify as women cannot give birth due to either
sterility or inheriting one or more
Y chromosomes. In extremely rare cases, people who have Swyer syndrome can give birth with medical assistance. Throughout history women have assumed or been assigned various social roles.
