Anatomy of the female respiratory system compared with males
| Airways | Lung | Chest wall | |||
| Pharynx | Volume | ↓ | Rib cage | ||
| Cross-sectional area | ↓ | Total alveolar number | ↓ | Cross-sectional area | ↓ |
| Resistance | ↓ | Alveolar surface area | ↓ | Antero–posterior diameter | ↓ |
| Patency | ↑ | Alveolar number per unit area | ≈ | Lateral diameter | ↓ |
| Larynx | Alveolar number per unit volume | ≈ | Thoracic index# | ≈ | |
| Glottis cross-sectional area | ≈ | Shape | ↓ pyramidal | Perimeter | ↓ |
| Absolute dimension | ↓ | Volume (absolute) | ↓ | ||
| Thyroid cartilage angle | ↑ | Volume (% chest wall volume) | ≈ | ||
| Trachea | Ribs inclination | ↑ | |||
| Cross-sectional area (absolute) | ↓ | Ribs movement | ↑ pump-handle | ||
| Cross-sectional area (standardised for lung size) | ≈ | Diaphragm | |||
| Total length | ↓ | ||||
| Length in the zone of apposition | ↓ | ||||
| Dome-shape factor on lateral projection | ↑ | ||||
| Dome-shape factor on antero–posterior projection | ≈ | ||||
| Height of the dome | ≈ | ||||
↑: increased compared with men; ↓: decreased compared with men; ≈ : no change between sexes. #: antero–posterior diameter/lateral diameter.