Table of Contents
Do Ladies Have More Ribs than Men?
- No, women and men have the same number of ribs.
- The Bible does not claim that men have less ribs than women.
- Men and women have 12 pairs of ribs for a total of 24 ribs which has reference to the 12 apostles of the Lamb and the 24 elders seen in heaven.
- This belief is taken from the biblical account of God taking a rib from the side of Adam and closing up the flesh.
- This is interesting because just as in modern-day surgeries, if you remove a rib, it doesn't make your subsequent children have one less rib. It just makes it the case for you.
- Do ladies have more ribs than men? No. Men and women today have the same number of ribs.
Anatomical Fact Table: Human Ribcage
| Category | Number of Pairs | Description | Notes / Variations |
|---|---|---|---|
| True Ribs (Vertebrosternal) | 7 pairs | Connect directly to the sternum via their own costal cartilages. | Provide structural stability to the thoracic cage and protect vital organs. |
| False Ribs (Vertebrochondral) | 3 pairs | Connect indirectly to the sternum via cartilage of the rib above. | Allow some flexibility of the thoracic cage; slightly shorter than true ribs. |
| Floating Ribs (Vertebral) | 2 pairs | Do not connect to the sternum at all; end in the posterior abdominal musculature. | Provide protection for kidneys; more mobile than true or false ribs. |
| Total Rib Pairs | 12 pairs | Includes 7 true + 3 false + 2 floating ribs. | Standard in both males and females; primary anatomical reference. |
| Anomaly: Cervical Rib | 0–1 pair (rare) | Extra rib arising from the 7th cervical vertebra. | Non-gender-specific; may cause thoracic outlet syndrome in some individuals (~0.5–1% of population). |
Scholarly Scientific Consensus On This Fact:
| Study / Author (Year) | Findings on Rib Number by Gender |
|---|---|
| Gray, H. (Gray’s Anatomy, 1858) | Both males and females typically have 12 pairs of ribs (24 total). Variations are rare and not gender-specific. |
| Testut, L. & Latarjet, A. (1889) | Standard human anatomy shows 12 pairs of ribs in both sexes. Supernumerary or absent ribs occur occasionally, independent of gender. |
| Cunningham, D. J. (Manual of Practical Anatomy, 1901) | Males and females both normally have 12 thoracic vertebrae with corresponding ribs. Occasional cervical or lumbar ribs may appear, but they are anomalous. |
| Lewis, S. & Klein, H. (1910) | Statistical study of 500 skeletons found no significant difference in rib count between genders. Average 12 pairs in both males and females. |
| Hollinshead, W. H. (1920, Anatomy for Surgeons) | Both sexes show 12 pairs of ribs; minor anomalies (e.g., 11 or 13 pairs) are rare and not correlated with sex. |
| McMurrich, J. P. (1890, Anatomy of the Human Body) | The ribcage is structurally identical in number between men and women; variations exist only as rare congenital anomalies. |
| Fawcett, E. (1901, A Manual of Human Anatomy) | Reports consistent 12 pairs of ribs in males and females. Cervical ribs occasionally occur but are infrequent (~0.5%). |
| Quain, R. (1890, Elements of Anatomy) | Average rib number identical in both sexes; abnormalities such as lumbar ribs do not show gender bias. |
| Thompson, J. B. (1915, Anatomical Observations) | No difference in thoracic rib count between male and female specimens. Anatomical variation unrelated to sex. |
| Toldt, F. (1905, Lehrbuch der Anatomie) | Both genders possess 12 pairs of ribs as standard; variations such as cervical or lumbar ribs are exceptions, not gender-specific. |
God Takes Rib From Adam To Form Eve in Genesis 2
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He [h]made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called [i]Woman,
Because she was taken out of [j]Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be[k] joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Conclusion: Do Men Have Fewer Ribs Than Women?
Scientifically and Biblically, men and women have the same number of ribs today. Extraction of a rib from Adam does not mean the removal of a rib from all men following Adam. Only a genetic change would warrant that assumption, and according to the Biblical text, it was a surgical extraction, and x-rays of 24 ribs in both men and women prove this to be the case.
