Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the beast and over all the earth and over every creeping things that creeps on the earth.” And God created the man in His image; in His image God created them; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26–27).
“Image” refers to appearance. When Adam was first created, he had a garment of light; thereby, he manifested an appearance like God, who dwells in an unapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16). This does not equate Adam with God, for man is created in the image of God, not as a god. “Likeness” is a similarity in kind. God is Spirit and Spirit is rational. Thus, man was created as a rational being. When God breathed the breath of lives into Adam, both a soul and a spirit were created (Genesis 2:7).
In these passages, we have an overview of what God did in creating humans. In chapter two, we have more details. He first created Adam, then, after showing Adam that no other creature on earth is like him, God made Eve. However, when He created man, within this new creation, He made both male and female possible. Thus, God created them male and female.