Abstract
Forensic sex estimation is often the first step in identifying a decedent’s biological profile from unknown skeletal remains. The pelvis and cranium were traditionally used as past research determined they respectively yield the highest sex classification accuracy; however, new research has demonstrated the postcranial skeleton displays equal or surpassing evidence of sexual dimorphism, making it useful for sex estimation in forensic contexts. Population variation—including environmental adaptation, sociocultural phenomena, and secular change—requires regional populations to be individually examined. This research evaluates the relationship between sexual dimorphism and limb bone dimensions using a contemporary skeletal sample from the CAL Milano Cemetery Skeletal Collection in Milan, Italy.Results indicated high statistical difference between male and female values for
each measurement, suggesting that sexual dimorphism in modern Italians is helpful for v
developing parameters for sex estimation in contemporary individuals. On the other hand, classification accuracies varied between element, biological sex, and measurement. This may have been due to factors such as sample size or age skewness. Despite this discrepancy, this research has shown that postcranial elements are sufficient to determine sex in modern Italian populations.