What are the phases of meiosis generally described as?

Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that produces gametes, such as sperm and eggs, and is generally understood to occur in two main phases known as meiosis I and meiosis II. This distinction reflects the overall process, where meiosis I is responsible for reducing the chromosome number by half through the separation of homologous chromosomes, and meiosis II resembles a mitotic division that separates sister chromatids.

In meiosis I, significant events such as crossing over and independent assortment occur, which contribute to genetic variation. Then, meiosis II follows without any further DNA replication, focusing instead on the division of each of the two cells formed during meiosis I. This two-phase approach reflects the two distinct rounds of division that characterize meiosis, making the answer about the phases being referred to as Phase 1 and Phase 2 the most accurate representation of meiosis.