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Feb 27, 2021 · “Male” and “female” are the most common gender identities in Western culture; they form a dualistic way of thinking about gender that often informs the identity options that people feel are...
- Overview
- Sex
- Gender
- Identity and expression
- Summary
People often use the terms “sex” and “gender” interchangeably, but this is incorrect. Sex refers to biological physical differences, while gender is how people identify.
“Sex” refers to the physical differences between people who are male, female, or intersex. A person typically has their sex assigned at birth based on physiological characteristics, including their genitalia and chromosome composition. This assigned sex is called a person’s “natal sex.”
Gender, on the other hand, involves how a person identifies. Unlike natal sex, gender is not made up of binary forms. Instead, gender is a broad spectrum. A person may identify at any point within this spectrum or outside of it entirely.
People may identify with genders that are different from their natal sex or with none at all. These identities may include transgender, nonbinary, or gender-neutral. There are many other ways in which a person may define their own gender.
Sex assignment typically happens at birth based on anatomical and physiological markers.
Male and female genitalia, both internal and external, are different, and male and female bodies have distinct hormonal and chromosomal makeups. Doctors use these factors to assign natal sex.
At birth, female-assigned people have higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, and while assigned males have higher levels of testosterone. Assigned females typically have two copies of the X chromosome, and assigned males have one X and one Y chromosome.
Society often sees maleness and femaleness as a biological binary. However, there are issues with this distinction. For instance, the chromosomal markers are not always clear-cut. Some male babies are born with two or three X chromosomes, just as some female babies are born with a Y chromosome.
Also, some babies are born with atypical genitalia due to a difference in sex development.
This type of difference was once called a “disorder of sex development,” but this term is problematic. In a 2015 survey, most respondents perceived the term negatively. A further review found that many people do not use it at all, and instead use “intersex.”
In the United States, gender has historically been defined as a binary. Many other cultures have long recognized third genders or do not recognize a binary that matches the American understanding.
In any case, the idea of gender as an either/or issue is incorrect.
Someone who identifies with the gender that they were assigned at birth is called “cisgender.”
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.
A person whose gender identity is different from their natal sex might identify as transgender.
A 2016 review confirms that gender exists on a broad spectrum — in contrast to the genetic definitions of sex.
A person may identify and express their gender in different ways.
Gender identity is how a person feels internally, while their expression is how they present themselves to the outside world. For example, a person may identify as nonbinary but present as a man to the outside world.
GLAAD, formerly called the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, describes gender identity as “one’s internal, personal sense” of belonging at some point on or off of the gender spectrum. The organization adds:
“Most people have a gender identity of man or woman (or boy or girl). For some people, their gender identity does not fit neatly into one of those two choices.”
GLAAD describes gender expression as: “External manifestations of gender, expressed through one’s name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine and feminine changes over time and varies by culture.”
To discover more evidence-based information and LGBTQIA+ resources, visit our dedicated hub.
For centuries, many societies have enforced the notion that a person is either a man or woman based on their physical characteristics. This idea conflates sex and gender, which is incorrect. Sex and gender are not the same.
In general terms, sex refers to a person’s physical characteristics at birth, and gender encompasses a person’s identities, expressions, and societal roles.
Jun 2, 2021 · Gender is often categorized as male, female or nonbinary. Gender identity is one's own internal sense of self and their gender, whether that is man, woman, neither or both. Unlike gender ...
- Laurel Wamsley
Society typically tells us that there are two sexes: male and female. You may also be familiar with the fact that some people are intersex, or have a difference of sexual development (DSD). DSD...
Oct 19, 2023 · At the same time, scientists are uncovering new complexities in the biological understanding of sex. Many of us learned in high school biology that sex chromosomes determine a baby’s sex, full stop: XX means it’s a girl; XY means it’s a boy. But on occasion, XX and XY don’t tell the whole story.
Gender includes the social, psychological, cultural and behavioral aspects of being a man, woman, or other gender identity. [1] [2] Depending on the context, this may include sex -based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender expression.
May 22, 2017 · In a 2014 study, University of Pennsylvania researchers imaged the brains of 428 male and 521 female youths — an uncharacteristically huge sample — and found that the females’ brains consistently showed more strongly coordinated activity between hemispheres, while the males’ brain activity was more tightly coordinated within local brain ...
