A 2018 meta-analysis of public opinion polls about gender stereotypes in the U.S. However, these are not always set in stone, and roles and stereotypes can shift over time. Gender roles in some societies are more rigid than in others. It varies from society to society and can be changed.” “Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles, and relationships of and between groups of women and men. As the World Health Organization (WHO) explains: This umbrella term covers a range of identities, including genderfluid, bigender, and gender-neutral. People who do not identify with existing gender binaries may identify as nonbinary. They may not identify with any gender roles at all. Someone who is not cisgender and does not identify within the gender binary - of man or woman, boy or girl - may identify as nonbinary, genderfluid, or genderqueer, among other identities.Ī person whose gender identity is different from their natal sex might identify as transgender.Ī 2016 review confirms that gender exists on a broad spectrum - in contrast to the genetic definitions of sex.Ī person may fully or partially identify with existing gender roles. Someone who identifies with the gender that they were assigned at birth is called “cisgender.” In any case, the idea of gender as an either/or issue is incorrect. Many other cultures have long recognized third genders or do not recognize a binary that matches the American understanding. In the United States, gender has historically been defined as a binary. For example, the idea of sex as a spectrum was discussed in a 1993 article published by the New York Academy of Sciences. This is not a new concept but one that has taken time to come into the public consciousness. Some people do not know that they are intersex until they reach puberty.īiologists have started to discuss the idea that sex may be a spectrum. Or, a person might have a different combination of chromosomes. For example, a person might have genitals or internal sex organs that fall outside of typical binary categories. A further review found that many people do not use it at all, and instead use “intersex.”īeing intersex can mean different things. In a 2015 survey, most respondents perceived the term negatively. This type of difference was once called a “disorder of sex development,” but this term is problematic. Some male babies are born with two or three X chromosomes, just as some female babies are born with a Y chromosome.Īlso, some babies are born with atypical genitalia due to a difference in sex development. For instance, the chromosomal markers are not always clear-cut. However, there are issues with this distinction. Society often sees maleness and femaleness as a biological binary. Assigned females typically have two copies of the X chromosome, and assigned males have one X and one Y chromosome. Doctors use these factors to assign natal sex.Īt birth, female-assigned people have higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, and while assigned males have higher levels of testosterone. Male and female genitalia, both internal and external, are different, and male and female bodies have distinct hormonal and chromosomal makeups. Sex assignment typically happens at birth based on anatomical and physiological markers. Gender also exists as social constructs - as gender “roles” or “norms.” These are defined as the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and attributes that a society considers appropriate for men and women. There are many other ways in which a person may define their own gender. These identities may include transgender, nonbinary, or gender-neutral. People may identify with genders that are different from their natal sex or with none at all. A person may identify at any point within this spectrum or outside of it entirely. Unlike natal sex, gender is not made up of binary forms. Gender, on the other hand, involves how a person identifies. This assigned sex is called a person’s “natal sex.” A person typically has their sex assigned at birth based on physiological characteristics, including their genitalia and chromosome composition. “Sex” refers to the physical differences between people who are male, female, or intersex. Sex refers to biological physical differences, while gender is how people identify. People often use the terms “sex” and “gender” interchangeably, but this is incorrect.
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