Meiosis is a type of cell division that occurs only in sex cells (sperm and egg cells). In some ways meiosis is similar to mitosis, but in some ways it is very different. In meiosis the cells actually go through two separate divisions rather than just one. These divisions are called Meiosis I and Meiosis II. The end result is 4 daughter cells that are all different from the parent cell. The resulting cells only have half as many chromosomes as the original cell and are therefore called haploid cells. The reason for the daughter cells having only half as many chromosomes (23 chromosomes each) as the parent cell (46 chromosomes) is so that when the sperm and egg meet the resulting zygote will have 46 chromosomes total which is the proper amount for a human cell.
Source: photo is public domain and is taken from wikipedia
