Question

Which of the two, sperm or egg cell (ovum), decides the sex of the child?

Answer 1

Sperms are the male gametes and ovum are the female gametes. They are the haploid cells and also called as the sex cells. These cells are responsible for the production of a baby. Both of these cells fuse with each other to form zygotes which divide and later develop into a fetus or baby.

Complete answer:
Sperms:Sperms are the male reproductive cells or gametes in sexual reproduction. Humans produce motile sperms in the testes.Sperm cells are produced by the process of spermatogenesis.
Human sperm cells have 23 numbers of chromosomes.Each sperm contain three parts-

Head - contains a nucleus and enzyme acrosome which is responsible for the dissolution of the membrane of egg cells.
Middle part - contain mitochondria which provide energy to sperms for their movement
Tail - Tail help in the movement of sperms.
Egg cells: Eggs are the female reproductive cells of gametes in sexual reproduction. In humans the egg cell is non-motile.Egg cells are released by the ovary in the fallopian tube where these cells wait for the sperm to get fertilized.Human egg cell is the largest cell present in the human body.It contains 23 numbers of chromosomes.
Determination of sex of the baby : It is the father who is responsible for the sex of the baby whether the baby is girl or boy. As the sperms of men contain two types of chromosomes i.e. X chromosome and Y chromosome. On the other hand the egg cells of females contain only one type of chromosome i.e. X chromosome.When the X chromosome of father fuses with the X chromosome of mother to make a zygote, this zygote develops into a baby girl (XX). If the Y chromosome of male fuses with the X chromosome of female to make zygote, this zygote develops into a baby boy (XY). So, from the above discussion it is clear that sperm cells decide the sex of the baby.

Note: Point to be noted that it is wrong to blame mother or abuse her for the sex of the child. As we have seen only father is responsible for the sex of the child as sperm consist of two types of chromosomes. Chromosomes are the thread-like structures which contain the DNA and proteins. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is the hereditary material.