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1Etymology and usage

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1.1Derivation

1.2History of the concept

1.2.1As a grammatical category

1.2.2As distinct from sex

2Gender identity and gender roles

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2.1Social assignment and gender fluidity

2.2Societal categories

2.2.1Non-binary and third genders

2.3Measurement of gender identity

3Biological factors and views

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3.1Non-human animals

4Feminist theory and gender studies

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4.1Social construction of sex hypotheses

5Psychology and sociology

6Gender as biopsychosocial

7Legal status

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7.1Transgender people

7.2Intersex people

7.3Non-binary and third genders

8Gender and society

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8.1Languages

8.2Science

8.3Religion

8.4Poverty

8.5General strain theory

8.6Economic development

8.7Climate change

8.8Social media

9See also

10References

11Bibliography

12External links

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Gender

97 languages

AfrikaansAlemannischአማርኛالعربيةAzərbaycancaবাংলাBân-lâm-gúБашҡортсаБеларускаяБеларуская (тарашкевіца)БългарскиCatalàCebuanoČeštinaChiShonaCymraegDeutschEestiΕλληνικάЭрзяньEspañolEsperantoEuskaraفارسیFrançaisGaeilgeGaelgGalego한국어HausaՀայերենहिन्दीHrvatskiIdoBahasa IndonesiaIsiZuluÍslenskaItalianoעבריתქართულიҚазақшаKreyòl ayisyenKriyòl gwiyannenКыргызчаLatinaLatviešuLëtzebuergeschLietuviųLingálaMagyarМакедонскиമലയാളംमराठीBahasa MelayuNa Vosa VakavitiNederlandsनेपालीनेपाल भाषा日本語Norsk bokmålOccitanਪੰਜਾਬੀپښتوPatoisPolskiPortuguêsRomânăРусскийᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤSarduScotsShqipසිංහලSimple EnglishSlovenčinaSlovenščinaکوردیСрпски / srpskiSrpskohrvatski / српскохрватскиSuomiSvenskaTagalogதமிழ்Татарча / tatarçaไทยТоҷикӣTürkçeУкраїнськаTiếng ViệtWinaray吴语Xitsongaייִדיש粵語ZazakiŽemaitėška中文

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Characteristics distinguishing between different gender identities

For the grammatical concept, see Grammatical gender. For other uses, see Gender (disambiguation).

Gender symbols intertwined. The red (left) is the female Venus symbol. The blue (right) represents the male Mars symbol.

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.[3][4][5] Most cultures use a gender binary, in which gender is divided into two categories, and people are considered part of one or the other (boys/men and girls/women);[6][7][8] those who are outside these groups may fall under the umbrella term non-binary. Some societies have specific genders besides "man" and "woman", such as the hijras of South Asia; these are often referred to as third genders (and fourth genders, etc.). Most scholars agree that gender is a central characteristic for social organization.[9]

In the mid-20th century, a terminological distinction in modern English (known as the sex and gender distinction) between biological sex and gender began to develop in the academic areas of psychology, sexology, and feminism.[10][11] Before the mid-20th century, it was uncommon to use the word gender to refer to anything but grammatical categories.[3][1] In the 1970s, feminist theory embraced the concept of a distinction between biological sex and the social construct of gender. The distinction between gender and sex is made by most contemporary social scientists in western countries,[12][13][14] behavioral scientists and biologists,[15] many legal systems and government bodies,[16] and intergovernmental agencies such as the WHO.[17]

The social sciences have a branch devoted to gender studies. Other sciences, such as psychology, sociology, sexology and neuroscience, are interested in the subject. The social sciences sometimes approach gender as a social construct, and gender studies particularly do, while research in the natural sciences investigates whether biological differences in females and males influence the development of gender in humans; both inform the debate about how far biological differences influence the formation of gender identity and gendered behavior. Biopsychosocial approaches to gender include biological, psychological, and social/cultural aspects.[18][19]

Etymology and usage

Derivation

The modern English word gender comes from the Middle English gender, gendre, a loanword from Anglo-Norman and Middle French gendre. This, in turn, came from Latin genus. Both words mean "kind", "type", or "sort". They derive ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root *ǵénh₁- 'to beget',[20] which is also the source of kin, kind, king, and many other English words, with cognates widely attested in many Indo-European languages.[21] It appears in Modern French in the word genre (type, kind, also genre sexuel) and is related to the Greek root gen- (to produce), appearing in gene, genesis, and oxygen. The Oxford Etymological Dictionary of the English Language of 1882 defined gender as kind, breed, sex, derived from the Latin ablative case of genus, like genere natus, which refers to birth.[22] The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED1, Volume 4, 1900) notes the original meaning of gender as "kind" had already become obsolete.

History of the concept

The concept of gender, in the modern sense, is a recent invention in human history.[23] The ancient world had no basis of understanding gender as it has been understood in the humanities and social sciences for the past few decades.[23] The term gender had been associated with grammar for most of history and only started to move towards it being a malleable cultural construct in the 1950s and 1960s.[24]

Before the terminological distinction between biological sex and gender as a role developed, it was uncommon to use the word gender to refer to anything but grammatical categories.[3][1] For example, in a bibliography of 12,000 references on marriage and family from 1900 to 1964, the term gender does not even emerge once.[3] Analysis of more than 30 million academic article titles from 1945 to 2001 showed that the uses of the term "gender", were much rarer than uses of "sex", was often used as a grammatical category early in this period. By the end of this period, uses of "gender" outnumbered uses of "sex" in the social sciences, arts, and humanities.[1] It was in the 1970s that feminist scholars adopted the term gender as way of distinguishing "socially constructed" aspects of male–female differences (gender) from "biologically determined" aspects (sex).[1]

In the last two decades of the 20th century, the use of gender in academia has increased greatly, outnumbering uses of sex in the social sciences. While the spread of the word in science publications can be attributed to the influence of feminism, its use as a synonym for sex is attributed to the failure to grasp the distinction made in feminist theory, and the distinction has sometimes become blurred with the theory itself; David Haig stated, "Among the reasons that working scientists have given me for choosing gender rather than sex in biological contexts are desires to signal sympathy with feminist goals, to use a more academic term, or to avoid the connotation of copulation."[1] In 1993, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started to use gender instead of sex to avoid confusion with sexual intercourse.[25] Later, in 2011, the FDA reversed its position and began using sex as the biological classification and gender as "a person's self-representation as male or female, or how that person is responded to by social institutions based on the individual's gender presentation."[26]

In legal cases alleging discrimination, a 2006 law review article by Meredith Render notes "as notions of gender and sexuality have evolved over the last few decades, legal theories concerning what it means to discriminate "because of sex" under Title VII have experienced a similar evolution".[27]: 135 In a 1999 law review article proposing a legal definition of sex that "emphasizes gender self-identification," Julie Greenberg writes, "Most legislation utilizes the word "sex," yet courts, legislators, and administrative agencies often substitute the word "gender" for "sex" when they interpret these statutes."[28]: 270, 274 In J.E.B. v. Alabama ex rel. T.B., a 1994 United States Supreme Court case addressing "whether the Equal Protection Clause forbids intentional discrimination on the basis of gender", the majority opinion noted that with regard to gender, "It is necessary only to acknowledge that 'our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination,' id., at 684, 93 S.Ct., at 1769, a history which warrants the heightened scrutiny we afford all gender-based classifications today", and stated "When state actors exercise peremptory challenges in reliance on gender stereotypes, they ratify and reinforce prejudicial views of the relative abilities of men and women."[29]

As a grammatical category

The word was still widely used, however, in the specific sense of grammatical gender (the assignment of nouns to categories such as masculine, feminine and neuter). According to Aristotle, this concept was introduced by the Greek philosopher Protagoras.[30][page needed]

In 1926, Henry Watson Fowler stated that the definition of the word pertained to this grammar-related meaning: "Gender...is a grammatical term only. To talk of persons...of the masculine or feminine g[ender], meaning of the male or female sex, is either a jocularity (permissible or not according to context) or a blunder."[31]

As distinct from sex

In 1945, Madison Bentley defined gender as the "socialized obverse of sex".[32][33] Simone de Beauvoir's 1949 book The Second Sex has been interpreted as the beginning of the distinction between sex and gender in feminist theory,[34][35] although this interpretation is contested by many feminist theorists, including Sara Heinämaa.[36][37]

Controversial sexologist John Money coined the term gender role,[38][39] and was the first to use it in print in a scientific trade journal in 1955.[40][41] In the seminal 1955 paper, he defined it as "all those things that a person says or does to disclose himself or herself as having the status of boy or man, girl or woman."[42]

The modern academic sense of the word, in the context of social roles of men and women, dates at least back to 1945,[43] and was popularized and developed by the feminist movement from the 1970s onwards (see Feminist theory and gender studies below), which theorizes that human nature is essentially epicene and social distinctions based on sex are arbitrarily constructed. In this context, matters pertaining to this theoretical process of social construction were labelled matters of gender.

The popular use of gender simply as an alternative to sex (as a biological category) is also widespread, although attempts are still made to preserve the distinction. The American Heritage Dictionary (2000) uses the following two sentences to illustrate the difference, noting that the distinction "is useful in principle, but it is by no means widely observed, and considerable variation in usage occurs at all levels."[44]

The effectiveness of the medication appears to depend on the sex (not gender) of the patient.In peasant societies, gender (not sex) roles are likely to be more clearly defined.

Gender identity and gender roles

Main articles: Gender identity and Gender role

Part of a series onTransgender topics

OutlineHistoryTimeline

Gender identities

Androgyne

Bissu, Calabai, Calalai

Burrnesha

Cisgender

Gender bender

Hijra

Non-binary or genderqueer

Gender fluidity

Kathoey

Koekchuch

Third gender

Bakla

Faʻafafine

Femminiello

Khanith

Māhū

Mudoko dako

Mukhannath

Muxe

Travesti

Two-spirit

Winkte

X-gender

Trans man

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Mak nyah

Rae-rae

Transgender

Youth

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Health care practices

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in children

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Organizations

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Theory and concepts

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Blanchard's typology

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See also

Gender

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Transgender portal LGBT portal

Categoryvte

Gender depicted as an ambiguous phenomenon, by a young Swedish actor

Gender identity refers to a personal identification with a particular gender and gender role in society. The term woman has historically been used interchangeably with reference to the female body, though more recently this usage has been viewed as controversial by some feminists.[45]

There are qualitative analyses that explore and present the representations of gender; however, feminists challenge these dominant ideologies concerning gender roles and biological sex. One's biological sex is often times tied to specific social roles and expectations. Judith Butler considers the concept of being a woman to have more challenges, owing not only to society's viewing women as a social category but also as a felt sense of self, a culturally conditioned or constructed subjective identity.[46] Social identity refers to the common identification with a collectivity or social category that creates a common culture among participants concerned.[47] According to social identity theory,[48] an important component of the self-concept is derived from memberships in social groups and categories; this is demonstrated by group processes and how inter-group relationships impact significantly on individuals' self perception and behaviors. The groups people belong to therefore provide members with the definition of who they are and how they should behave within their social sphere.[49]

A protester holding a flyer with the words "Gender is like that old jumper from my cousin. It was given to me and it doesn't fit" at a rally for transgender equality in Washington D.C. in 2013

Categorizing males and females into social roles creates a problem for some individuals who feel they have to be at one end of a linear spectrum and must identify themselves as man or woman, rather than being allowed to choose a section in between.[50] Globally, communities interpret biological differences between men and women to create a set of social expectations that define the behaviors that are "appropriate" for men and women and determine their different access to rights, resources, power in society and health behaviors.[51] Although the specific nature and degree of these differences vary from one society to the next, they still tend to typically favor men, creating an imbalance in power and gender inequalities within most societies.[52] Many cultures have different systems of norms and beliefs based on gender, but there is no universal standard to a masculine or feminine role across all cultures.[53] Social roles of men and women in relation to each other is based on the cultural norms of that society, which lead to the creation of gender systems. The gender system is the basis of social patterns in many societies, which include the separation of sexes, and the primacy of masculine norms.[52]

Philosopher Michel Foucault said that as sexual subjects, humans are the object of power, which is not an institution or structure, rather it is a signifier or name attributed to "complex strategical situation".[54] Because of this, "power" is what determines individual attributes, behaviors, etc. and people are a part of an ontologically and epistemologically constructed set of names and labels. For example, being female characterizes one as a woman, and being a woman signifies one as weak, emotional, and irrational, and incapable of actions attributed to a "man". Butler said that gender and sex are more like verbs than nouns. She reasoned that her actions are limited because she is female. "I am not permitted to construct my gender and sex willy-nilly," she said.[46] "[This] is so because gender is politically and therefore socially controlled. Rather than 'woman' being something one is, it is something one does."[46] More recent criticisms of Judith Butler's theories critique her writing for reinforcing the very conventional dichotomies of gender.[55]

Social assignment and gender fluidity

See also: Sex assignment and Gender fluidity

According to gender theorist Kate Bornstein, gender can have ambiguity and fluidity.[56] There are two[57][58] contrasting ideas regarding the definition of gender, and the intersection of both of them is definable as below:

The World Health Organization defines gender as "the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed".[59] The beliefs, values and attitude taken up and exhibited by them is as per the agreed upon norms of the society and the personal opinion of the person is not taken into the primary consideration of assignment of gender and imposition of gender roles as per the assigned gender.[2]

The assignment of gender involves taking into account the physiological and biological attributes assigned by nature followed by the imposition of the socially constructed conduct. Gender is a term used to exemplify the attributes that a society or culture constitutes as "masculine" or "feminine". Although a person's sex as male or female stands as a biological fact that is identical in any culture, what that specific sex means in reference to a person's gender role as a man or a woman in society varies cross-culturally according to what things are considered to be masculine or feminine.[60] These roles are learned from various, intersecting sources such as parental influences, the socialization a child receives in school, and what is portrayed in the local media. Learning gender roles starts from birth and includes seemingly simple things like what color outfits a baby is clothed in or what toys they are given to play with. However, a person's gender does not always align with what has been assigned at birth. Factors other than learned behaviors play a role in the development of gender.[61]

The article Adolescent Gender-Role Identity and Mental Health: Gender Intensification Revisited focuses on the work of Heather A. Priess, Sara M. Lindberg, and Janet Shibley Hyde on whether or not girls and boys diverge in their gender identities during adolescent years. The researchers based their work on ideas previously mentioned by Hill and Lynch in their gender intensification hypothesis in that signals and messages from parents determine and affect their children's gender role identities. This hypothesis argues that parents affect their children's gender role identities and that different interactions spent with either parents will affect gender intensification. Priess and among other's study did not support the hypothesis of Hill and Lynch which stated "that as adolescents experience these and other socializing influences, they will become more stereotypical in their gender-role identities and gendered attitudes and behaviors."[62] However, the researchers did state that perhaps the hypothesis Hill and Lynch proposed was true in the past but is not true now due to changes in the population of teens in respect to their gender-role identities.

Authors of "Unpacking the Gender System: A Theoretical Perspective on Gender Beliefs and Social Relations", Cecilia Ridgeway and Shelley Correll, argue that gender is more than an identity or role but is something that is institutionalized through "social relational contexts." Ridgeway and Correll define "social relational contexts" as "any situation in which individuals define themselves in relation to others in order to act."[63] They also point out that in addition to social relational contexts, cultural beliefs plays a role in the gender system. The coauthors argue that daily people are forced to acknowledge and interact with others in ways that are related to gender. Every day, individuals are interacting with each other and comply with society's set standard of hegemonic beliefs, which includes gender roles. They state that society's hegemonic cultural beliefs sets the rules which in turn create the setting for which social relational contexts are to take place. Ridgeway and Correll then shift their topic towards sex categorization. The authors define sex categorization as "the sociocognitive process by which we label another as male or female."[63]

The failure of an attempt to raise David Reimer from infancy through adolescence as a girl after his genitals were accidentally mutilated is cited as disproving the theory that gender identity is determined solely by parenting.[64][65] Reimer's case is used by organizations such as the Intersex Society of North America to caution against needlessly modifying the genitals of unconsenting minors.[66][67] Between the 1960s and 2000, many other male newborns and infants were surgically and socially reassigned as females if they were born with malformed penises, or if they lost their penises in accidents. At the time, surgical reconstruction of the vagina was more advanced than reconstruction of the penis, leading many doctors and psychologists, including John Money who oversaw Reimer's case, to recommend sex reassignment based on the idea that these patients would be happiest living as women with functioning genitalia.[68] Available evidence indicates that in such instances, parents were deeply committed to raising these children as girls and in as gender-typical a manner as possible.[68]: 72–73 A 2005 review of these cases found that about half of natal males reassigned female lived as women in adulthood, including those who knew their medical history, suggesting that gender assignment and related social factors has a major, though not determinative, influence on eventual gender identity.[67]

In 2015, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a webinar series on gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, etc.[69][70] In the first lecture Sherer explains that parents' influence (through punishment and reward of behavior) can influence gender expression but not gender identity.[71] Sherer argued that kids will modify their gender expression to seek reward from their parents and society, but this will not affect their gender identity (their internal sense of self).

Societal categories

Gender symbols

Mary Frith ("Moll Cutpurse") scandalized 17th century society by wearing male clothing, smoking in public, and otherwise defying gender roles.

Sexologist John Money coined the term gender role in 1955. The term gender role is defined as the actions or responses that may reveal their status as boy, man, girl or woman, respectively.[72] Elements surrounding gender roles include clothing, speech patterns, movement, occupations, and other factors not limited to biological sex. In contrast to taxonomic approaches, some feminist philosophers have argued that gender "is a vast orchestration of subtle mediations between oneself and others", rather than a "private cause behind manifest behaviours".[73]

Non-binary and third genders

Main articles: Genderqueer and Third gender

Historically, most societies have recognized only two distinct, broad classes of gender roles, a binary of masculine and feminine, largely corresponding to the biological sexes of male and female.[8][74][75] When a baby is born, society allocates the child to one gender or the other, on the basis of what their genitals resemble.[60]

However, some societies have historically acknowledged and even honored people who fulfill a gender role that exists more in the middle of the continuum between the feminine and masculine polarity. For example, the Hawaiian māhū, who occupy "a place in the middle" between male and female,[76][77] or the Ojibwe ikwekaazo, "men who choose to function as women",[78] or ininiikaazo, "women who function as men".[78] In the language of the sociology of gender, some of these people may be considered third gender, especially by those in gender studies or anthropology. Contemporary Native American and FNIM people who fulfill these traditional roles in their communities may also participate in the modern, two-spirit community,[79] however, these umbrella terms, neologisms, and ways of viewing gender are not necessarily the type of cultural constructs that more traditional members of these communities agree with.[80]

The hijras of India and Pakistan are often cited as third gender.[81][82] Another example may be the muxe (pronounced [ˈmuʃe]), found in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico.[83] The Bugis people of Sulawesi, Indonesia have a tradition that incorporates all the features above.[84]

In addition to these traditionally recognized third genders, many cultures now recognize, to differing degrees, various non-binary gender identities. People who are non-binary (or genderqueer) have gender identities that are not exclusively masculine or feminine. They may identify as having an overlap of gender identities, having two or more genders, having no gender, having a fluctuating gender identity, or being third gender or other-gendered. Recognition of non-binary genders is still somewhat new to mainstream Western culture,[85] and non-binary people may face increased risk of assault, harassment, and discrimination.[86]

Measurement of gender identity

Two instruments incorporating the multidimensional nature of masculinity and femininity have dominated gender identity research: The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ).[87] Both instruments categorize individuals as either being sex typed (males report themselves as identifying primarily with masculine traits, females report themselves as identifying primarily with feminine traits), cross sex-typed (males report themselves as identifying primarily with feminine traits, females report themselves as identifying primarily with masculine traits), androgynous (either males or females who report themselves as high on both masculine and feminine traits) or undifferentiated (either males or females who report themselves as low on both masculine and feminine traits).[88] Twenge (1997) noted that men are generally more masculine than women and women generally more feminine than men, but the association between biological sex and masculinity/femininity is waning.[89]

Biological factors and views

See also: Sexual differentiation and Sexual differentiation in humans

Some gendered behavior is influenced by prenatal and early life androgen exposure. This includes, for example, gender normative play, self-identification with a gender, and tendency to engage in aggressive behavior.[90] Males of most mammals, including humans, exhibit more rough and tumble play behavior, which is influenced by maternal testosterone levels. These levels may also influence sexuality, with non-heterosexual persons exhibiting sex atypical behavior in childhood.[91]

The biology of gender became the subject of an expanding number of studies over the course of the late 20th century. One of the earliest areas of interest was what became known as "gender identity disorder" (GID) and which is now also described as gender dysphoria. Studies in this, and related areas, inform the following summary of the subject by John Money. He stated:

The term "gender role" appeared in print first in 1955. The term gender identity was used in a press release, 21 November 1966, to announce the new clinic for transsexuals at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. It was disseminated in the media worldwide, and soon entered the vernacular. The definitions of gender and gender identity vary on a doctrinal basis. In popularized and scientifically debased usage, sex is what you are biologically; gender is what you become socially; gender identity is your own sense or conviction of maleness or femaleness; and gender role is the cultural stereotype of what is masculine and feminine. Causality with respect to gender identity disorder is sub-divisible into genetic, prenatal hormonal, postnatal social, and post-pubertal hormonal determinants, but there is, as yet, no comprehensive and detailed theory of causality. Gender coding in the brain is bipolar. In gender identity disorder, there is discordance between the natal sex of one's external genitalia and the brain coding of one's gender as masculine or feminine.[92]

Although causation from the biological—genetic and hormonal—to the behavioral has been broadly demonstrated and accepted, Money is careful to also note that understanding of the causal chains from biology to behavior in sex and gender issues is very far from complete.[93]

There are studies concerning women who have a condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which leads to the overproduction of the masculine sex hormone, androgen. These women usually have ordinary female appearances (though nearly all girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) have corrective surgery performed on their genitals). However, despite taking hormone-balancing medication given to them at birth, these females are statistically more likely to be interested in activities traditionally linked to males than female activities. Psychology professor and CAH researcher Dr. Sheri Berenbaum attributes these differences to an exposure of higher levels of male sex hormones in utero.[94]

Non-human animals

In non-human animal research, gender is commonly used to refer to the biological sex of the animals.[1] According to biologist Michael J. Ryan, gender identity is a concept exclusively applied to humans.[95] Also, in a letter Ellen Ketterson writes, "[w]hen asked, my colleagues in the Department of Gender Studies agreed that the term gender could be properly applied only to humans, because it involves one's self-concept as man or woman. Sex is a biological concept; gender is a human social and cultural concept."[96] However, Poiani (2010) notes that the question of whether behavioural similarities across species can be associated with gender identity or not is "an issue of no easy resolution",[97] and suggests that mental states, such as gender identity, are more accessible in humans than other species due to their capacity for language.[98] Polani suggests that the potential number of species with members possessing a gender identity must be limited due to the requirement for self-consciousness.[99]

Jacques Balthazart suggests that "there is no animal model for studying sexual identity. It is impossible to ask an animal, whatever its species, to what sex it belongs."[100] He notes that "this would imply that the animal is aware of its own body and sex, which is far from proved", despite recent research demonstrating sophisticated cognitive skills among non-human primates and other species.[101] Hird (2006) has also stated that whether or not non-human animals consider themselves to be feminine or masculine is a "difficult, if not impossible, question to answer", as this would require "judgements about what constitutes femininity or masculinity in any given species". Nonetheless, she asserts that "non-human animals do experience femininity and masculinity to the extent that any given species' behaviour is gender segregated."[102]

Despite this, Poiani and Dixson emphasise the applicability of the concept of gender role to non-human animals[97] such as rodents[103] throughout their book.[104] The concept of gender role has also been applied to non-human primates such as rhesus monkeys.[105][106]

Feminist theory and gender studies

Part of a series onFeminist philosophy

Major works

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)

The Subjection of Women (1869)

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884)

The Second Sex (1949)

The Feminine Mystique (1963)

Sexual Politics (1969)

The Dialectic of Sex (1970)

Speculum of the Other Woman (1974)

This Sex Which is Not One (1977)

Gyn/Ecology (1978)

Throwing Like a Girl (1980)

In a Different Voice (1982)

The Politics of Reality (1983)

Women, Race, and Class (1983)

Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center (1984)

The Creation of Patriarchy (1986)

Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (1989)

Gender Trouble (1990)

Black Feminist Thought (1990)

Feminism and the Mastery of Nature (1993)

Whipping Girl (2007)

The Promise of Happiness (2010)

Major thinkers

Bartky

Baier

de Beauvoir

Bebel

Boggs

Butler

Cixous

Cleyre

De la Cruz

Collins

Daly

Davis

Démar

Federici

Firestone

Fourier

Friedan

Frye

Gamond

Goldman

Grosz

Haslanger

hooks

Irigaray

Jaggar

Kristeva

Lerner

Lorde

Lugones

Luxemburg

MacKinnon

Mama

Michel

Mill

Taylor Mill

Millett

Nussbaum

Pankhurst

Pateman

Plumwood

Rubin

Saadawi

Showalter

Spivak

Voilquin

Wittig

Wollstonecraft

Young

Zetkin

Ideas

Feminism

analytical

epistemology

ethics

existentialism

metaphysics

science

Gender equality

Gender performativity

Social construction of gender

Care ethics

Intersectionality

Standpoint theory

Journals

Feminist Philosophy Quarterly

Hypatia

philoSOPHIA

Radical Philosophy

Signs

Category Feminist philosophy

vte

Biologist and feminist academic Anne Fausto-Sterling rejects the discourse of biological versus social determinism and advocates a deeper analysis of how interactions between the biological being and the social environment influence individuals' capacities.[107]

The philosopher and feminist Simone de Beauvoir applied existentialism to women's experience of life: "One is not born a woman, one becomes one."[108] In context, this is a philosophical statement. However, it may be analyzed in terms of biology—a girl must pass puberty to become a woman—and sociology, as a great deal of mature relating in social contexts is learned rather than instinctive.[109]

Within feminist theory, terminology for gender issues developed over the 1970s. In the 1974 edition of Masculine/Feminine or Human, the author uses "innate gender" and "learned sex roles",[110] but in the 1978 edition, the use of sex and gender is reversed.[111]

By 1980, most feminist writings had agreed on using gender only for socioculturally adapted traits.

Gender studies is a field of interdisciplinary study and academic field devoted to gender, gender identity and gendered representation as central categories of analysis. This field includes Women's studies (concerning women, feminity, their gender roles and politics, and feminism), Men's studies (concerning men, masculinity, their gender roles, and politics), and LGBT studies.[112]

Sometimes Gender studies is offered together with Study of Sexuality.

These disciplines study gender and sexuality in the fields of literature and language, history, political science, sociology, anthropology, cinema and media studies, human development, law, and medicine.[113]

It also analyses race, ethnicity, location, nationality, and disability.[114][115]

In gender studies, the term gender refers to proposed social and cultural constructions of masculinities and femininities. In this context, gender explicitly excludes reference to biological differences, to focus on cultural differences.[116] This emerged from a number of different areas: in sociology during the 1950s; from the theories of the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan; and in the work of French psychoanalysts like Julia Kristeva, Luce Irigaray, and American feminists such as Judith Butler. Those who followed Butler came to regard gender roles as a practice, sometimes referred to as "performative".[117]

Charles E. Hurst states that some people think sex will, "...automatically determine one's gender demeanor and role (social) as well as one's sexual orientation" (sexual attractions and behavior).[118] Gender sociologists believe that people have cultural origins and habits for dealing with gender. For example, Michael Schwalbe believes that humans must be taught how to act appropriately in their designated gender to fill the role properly, and that the way people behave as masculine or feminine interacts with social expectations. Schwalbe comments that humans "are the results of many people embracing and acting on similar ideas".[119] People do this through everything from clothing and hairstyle to relationship and employment choices. Schwalbe believes that these distinctions are important, because society wants to identify and categorize people as soon as we see them. They need to place people into distinct categories to know how we should feel about them.

Hurst comments that in a society where we present our genders so distinctly, there can often be severe consequences for breaking these cultural norms. Many of these consequences are rooted in discrimination based on sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians are often discriminated against in our legal system because of societal prejudices.[120][121][122] Hurst describes how this discrimination works against people for breaking gender norms, no matter what their sexual orientation is. He says that "courts often confuse sex, gender, and sexual orientation, and confuse them in a way that results in denying the rights not only of gays and lesbians, but also of those who do not present themselves or act in a manner traditionally expected of their sex".[118] This prejudice plays out in our legal system when a person is judged differently because they do not present themselves as the "correct" gender.

Andrea Dworkin stated her "commitment to destroying male dominance and gender itself" while stating her belief in radical feminism.[123]

Political scientist Mary Hawkesworth addresses gender and feminist theory, stating that since the 1970s the concept of gender has transformed and been used in significantly different ways within feminist scholarship. She notes that a transition occurred when several feminist scholars, such as Sandra Harding and Joan Scott, began to conceive of gender "as an analytic category within which humans think about and organize their social activity". Feminist scholars in Political Science began employing gender as an analytical category, which highlighted "social and political relations neglected by mainstream accounts". However, Hawkesworth states "feminist political science has not become a dominant paradigm within the discipline".[124]

American political scientist Karen Beckwith addresses the concept of gender within political science arguing that a "common language of gender" exists and that it must be explicitly articulated in order to build upon it within the political science discipline. Beckwith describes two ways in which the political scientist may employ 'gender' when conducting empirical research: "gender as a category and as a process." Employing gender as a category allows for political scientists "to delineate specific contexts where behaviours, actions, attitudes and preferences considered masculine or feminine result in particular political outcomes". It may also demonstrate how gender differences, not necessarily corresponding precisely with sex, may "constrain or facilitate political" actors. Gender as a process has two central manifestations in political science research, firstly in determining "the differential effects of structures and policies upon men and women," and secondly, the ways in which masculine and feminine political actors "actively work to produce favorable gendered outcomes".[125]

With regard to gender studies, Jacquetta Newman states that although sex is determined biologically, the ways in which people express gender is not. Gendering is a socially constructed process based on culture, though often cultural expectations around women and men have a direct relationship to their biology. Because of this, Newman argues, many privilege sex as being a cause of oppression and ignore other issues like race, ability, poverty, etc. Current gender studies classes seek to move away from that and examine the intersectionality of these factors in determining people's lives. She also points out that other non-Western cultures do not necessarily have the same views of gender and gender roles.[126] Newman also debates the meaning of equality, which is often considered the goal of feminism; she believes that equality is a problematic term because it can mean many different things, such as people being treated identically, differently, or fairly based on their gender. Newman believes this is problematic because there is no unified definition as to what equality means or looks like, and that this can be significantly important in areas like public policy.[127]

Social construction of sex hypotheses

See also

Androcentrism

Anti-gender movement

Biological determinism

Coloniality of gender

Feminist metaphysics

Gender and politics

Gender bender

Gender paradox

Gynocentrism

Postgenderism

Sexism

Sex ratio

References

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Bibliography

Butler, Judith (1990). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Thinking Gender'. New York & London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-38955-6.

Butler, Judith (1993). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex". New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-61015-5.

Fausto-Sterling, Anne (2000). Sexing the body: gender politics and the construction of sexuality. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-07714-4.

External links

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Sex and gender: Meanings, definition, identity, and expression

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Mimi Arquilla, DO — By Tim Newman — Updated on March 31, 2023SexGenderIdentity and expressionSummaryPeople 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. 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.SexShare on PinterestFlashpop/Getty ImagesSex 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.”Being intersex can mean different things. For example, a person might have genitals or internal sex organs that fall outside of typical binary categories. Or, a person might have a different combination of chromosomes. Some people do not know that they are intersex until they reach puberty.Biologists have started to discuss the idea that sex may be a spectrum. This is not a new concept but one that has taken time to come into the public consciousness. For example, the idea of sex as a spectrum was discussed in a 1993 article published by the New York Academy of Sciences.GenderIn 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 fully or partially identify with existing gender roles. They may not identify with any gender roles at all. People who do not identify with existing gender binaries may identify as nonbinary. This umbrella term covers a range of identities, including genderfluid, bigender, and gender-neutral.Gender and societyGender is also a social construct. As the World Health Organization (WHO) explains:“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. It varies from society to society and can be changed.”Gender roles in some societies are more rigid than in others. However, these are not always set in stone, and roles and stereotypes can shift over time. A 2018 meta-analysis of public opinion polls about gender stereotypes in the U.S. reflects this shift.Gender and healthThere are complex relationship between gender and both physical and mental health.Health systems are not gender-neutral.A WHO report highlights the ways that gender stereotypes and stigmas influence a person’s healthcare experience. Gender stereotypes can affect health coverage, pathways of care, and accountability and inclusivity within health systems throughout the world.A review of first-hand case studies shows that by failing to address gender-based inequalities, health systems can reinforce prescriptive and exclusive gender binaries. The researchers also emphasized that these inequalities in care can intersect with and amplify other social inequities.The review concluded that health systems must be held accountable to address gender inequalities and restrictive gender norms.Identity and expressionA 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.Was this helpful?SummaryFor 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.A person may identify with a gender that is different from their natal sex or with no gender at all. The latter identity is often referred to as nonbinary, but this is an umbrella term that covers many identifications. Last medically reviewed on May 11, 2021Men's HealthPublic HealthSexual Health / STDsWomen's Health / GynecologyLGBTQIA+Cat 1genderandsexualidentityHow we reviewed this article:SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.Ainsworth, C. (2015). Sex redefined.https://www.nature.com/news/sex-redefined-1.16943#spectrumEagly, A. H., et al. (2020). Gender stereotypes have changed: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of U.S. public opinion polls From 1946 to 2018.https://doi.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Famp0000494Fausto-Sterling, A. (1993). The five sexes.https://www.fd.unl.pt/docentes_docs/ma/TPB_MA_5937.pdfFleming, P. J., et al. (2015). Current trends in the study of gender norms and health behaviours.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4461071/Gender and health. (n.d.).https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#Hay, K., et al. (2019). Disrupting gender norms in health systems: Making the case for change.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7233290/How many chromosomes do people have? (2021).https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/howmanychromosomes/Lee, P. A., et al. (2016). Global disorders of sex development update since 2006: Perceptions, approach and care.https://www.karger.com/article/fulltext/442975/27603905Lin-Su, K., et al. (2015). Congenital adrenal hyperplasia patient perception of ‘disorders of sex development’ nomenclature.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4360949/Majumder, A., et al. (2020). An observational study of the quality of life among gender incongruent individuals from the Hijra community of India.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7540832/Manandhar, M., et al. (2018). Gender, health, and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6154065/Richards, C., et al. (2016). Non-binary or genderqueer genders.https://core.ac.uk/reader/55894044?utm_source=linkoutTransgender. (n.d.).https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgenderWhat is intersex? (n.d.).https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/gender-identity/sex-gender-identity/whats-intersexShare this articleMedically reviewed by E. Mimi Arquilla, DO — By Tim Newman — Updated on March 31, 2023Latest newsA 'DNA diet' may help reduce type 2 diabetes risk, new study arguesCould an intervention as simple as eye drops treat eye damage in diabetes?How and why does gut health influence heart health?Swapping meat for mushroom protein may be better for reducing cholesterolAnother 3 common pesticides are now linked to Parkinson's disease riskRelated CoverageWhat are some different types of gender identity?Medically reviewed by Francis Kuehnle, MSN, RN-BCThere are many types of gender identity. Learn more about their definitions, the difference between sex and gender, and how gender exists on a…READ MOREWhat to know about gender pronounsMedically reviewed by Francis Kuehnle, MSN, RN-BCWhat are gender pronouns, and how do you use them correctly? Read on to learn about different gender pronouns and how to be inclusive by using them…READ MOREHas the pandemic shifted traditional gender roles in childcare?New research has shown that childcare responsibilities tended to fall to women during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.READ MOREGender dysphoria: What does it mean?Medically reviewed by Francis Kuehnle, MSN, RN-BCGender dysphoria is when a person's physical sex does not align with their gender identity. Gender dysphoria can cause emotional distress, but support…READ MOREThe intersex gap in research and healthcareWe spoke to intersex educator Aleksander Berezkin, who explained why intersex people often find healthcare so difficult and traumatizing to navigate.READ MOREAbout UsContact UsTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyPrivacy SettingsAdvertising PolicyHealth TopicsHealth HubsMedical AffairsContent IntegrityNewsletters© 2024 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. See additional information.© 2024 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. See additional information.AboutCareersAdvertise with usOUR BRANDSHealthlineMedical News TodayGreatistPsych CentralBezzy

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Gender

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Gender and health

Overview

Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.

Gender is hierarchical and produces inequalities that intersect with other social and economic inequalities. Gender-based discrimination intersects with other factors of discrimination, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, age, geographic location, gender identity and sexual orientation, among others. This is referred to as intersectionality.

Gender interacts with but is different from sex, which refers to the different biological and physiological characteristics of females, males and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. Gender and sex are related to but different from gender identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth.

Gender influences people’s experience of and access to healthcare. The way that health services are organized and provided can either limit or enable a person’s access to healthcare information, support and services, and the outcome of those encounters. Health services should be affordable, accessible and acceptable to all, and they should be provided with quality, equity and dignity.

Gender inequality and discrimination faced by women and girls puts their health and well-being at risk. Women and girls often face greater barriers than men and boys to accessing health information and services. These barriers include restrictions on mobility; lack of access to decision-making power; lower literacy rates; discriminatory attitudes of communities and healthcare providers; and lack of training and awareness amongst healthcare providers and health systems of the specific health needs and challenges of women and girls.

Consequently, women and girls face greater risks of unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, cervical cancer, malnutrition, lower vision, respiratory infections, malnutrition and elder abuse, amongst others. Women and girls also face unacceptably high levels of violence rooted in gender inequality and are at grave risk of harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, and child, early and forced marriage. WHO figures show that about 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

Harmful gender norms – especially those related to rigid notions of masculinity – can also affect boys and men’s health and wellbeing negatively. For example, specific notions of masculinity may encourage boys and men to smoke, take sexual and other health risks, misuse alcohol and not seek help or health care. Such gender norms also contribute to boys and men perpetrating violence – as well as being subjected to violence themselves. They can also have grave implications for their mental health.

Rigid gender norms also negatively affect people with diverse gender identities, who often face violence, stigma and discrimination as a result, including in healthcare settings. Consequently, they are at higher risk of HIV and mental health problems, including suicide.

WHO's role

The work of WHO is aligned with and supports the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The Organization is committed to non-discrimination and to leaving no-one behind. It seeks to ensure that every person, regardless of gender or sex, can live a healthy life.

Gender inequality hinders progress to fulfill everyone’s right to health. Efforts in support of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) must focus on reaching those most often left behind, such as marginalized, stigmatized and geographically isolated people of all sexes and gender identities, with a special focus on those in situations of increased vulnerability, including poor people, persons with disabilities and racialized and indigenous peoples. Addressing discrimination against women and girls is critical to achieving UHC.

WHO develops norms, standards and guidelines on gender-responsive health service provision and delivery, and commissions research on issues focusing on gender equality, human rights and health equity. WHO also supports country-level action to strengthen health sector response to gender-based violence, as well as to address gender equality in health workforce development and gender-related barriers to health services.

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Meaning of gender in English

gendernoun uk

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/ˈdʒen.dər/ us

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/ˈdʒen.dɚ/

gender noun

(PEOPLE)

Add to word list

B2 [ C or U ] a group of people in a society who share particular qualities or ways of behaving which that society associates with being male, female, or another identity: I think all genders are able to care for children equally.gender stereotype Those old films are full of racial and gender stereotypes.gender bias Their goal is to eliminate gender bias in access to sports for children. Germany's top court has ruled that parliament must legally recognize a third gender.gender equality Our lab is committed to gender equality in the sciences and promotes men and women to senior positions in equal numbers. "The gender that you identify with isn't always the same as your biological sex," he explained. There can be a lot of physical variation within one gender as well as between genders. Compare

sex noun (MALE/FEMALE)

[ U ] the condition of being a member of a group of people in a society who share particular qualities or ways of behaving which that society associates with being male, female, or another identity: Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age or disability is not allowed. She felt that her destiny had been shaped by her gender. The sample of people questioned was drawn from the university's student register and grouped by age and gender. I could not fill out the form as I am non-binary and my gender was not listed among the options given. Compare

sex noun (MALE/FEMALE)See also

gender expression

[ U ] used to refer to the condition of being physically male, female, or intersex (= having a body that has both male and female characteristics): Does this test show the gender of the baby? Forensic scientists can tell the gender of the victim from the skeleton. Synonym

sex (MALE/FEMALE)Note: Some people prefer to use the word "sex" when talking about the physical condition of being male, female, or intersex, and prefer to use the word "gender" only when talking about someone's identity and the group they belong to in society.

More examplesFewer examplesMale actors were used to play characters of both genders.There is an even gender ratio within the company.

gender noun

(GRAMMAR)

B2 [ C ]

language

specialized the grammatical arrangement of nouns, pronouns and adjectives into masculine, feminine, and neuter types in some languages

Examples

Gender, of course, isn't an issue in the English language.I so often get the gender wrong when I'm trying to speak French.

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Grammar

Nouns and genderMost English nouns do not have grammatical gender. Nouns referring to people do not have separate forms for men (male form) and women (female form). However, some nouns traditionally had different forms. Nowadays, people usually prefer more neutral forms. …

GenderSome languages mark words according to whether they are masculine, feminine or neuter. In English, we do not commonly mark nouns according to gender. …

genderverb [ T ] uk

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/ˈdʒen.dər/ us

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/ˈdʒen.dɚ/

to give someone or something a particular gender, or to think of something as belonging to a particular gender: Children don't usually gender their toys until they see adults doing it. Increasing numbers of young people are choosing to gender themselves, and playing with gender can be fun. I do not see why we need to gender babies' clothes.

(Definition of gender from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

gender | American Dictionary

gendernoun [ C/U ] us

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/ˈdʒen·dər/

gender noun [C/U]

(SEX)

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the male or female sex, or the state of being either male or female: [ U ] Discrimination on the basis of gender is not allowed.

gender noun [C/U]

(GRAMMAR)

grammar the divisions, usually masculine, feminine, and neuter, into which nouns are separated in some languages: [ C ] French has two genders and German has three.

(Definition of gender from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

gender | Business English

gendernoun [ U ] uk

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/ˈdʒendər/ us

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the condition of being either male or female: Polls show that Americans are willing to elect a woman president, suggesting that gender alone may no longer be a stumbling block.

(Definition of gender from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Collocations with gender

gender

These are words often used in combination with gender.Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

gender differentialThus, criminality does not seem to be the explanation for the gender differential in our results.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

gender divideThe gender divide within marriages is shown by more husbands than wives receiving expressive or instrumental support from their spouse.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

gender neutralityThe present items were chosen from those descriptions and were modified to provide clarity and gender neutrality.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

See all collocations with gender

What is the pronunciation of gender?

B2,B2

Translations of gender

in Chinese (Traditional)

性別, （所有）男人，女人, 文法…

in Chinese (Simplified)

性别, （所有）男人，女人, 语法…

in Spanish

sexo, género, género [masculine]…

in Portuguese

sexo, gênero, gênero [masculine]…

in more languages

in Marathi

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Dutch

in Tamil

in Hindi

in Gujarati

in Danish

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लिंग, जेंडर, सगळे पुरुष आणि सगळ्या स्त्रिया एकत्रित संबोधणे…

性, （女性名詞・男性名詞の）性（の区分）, 性（せい）…

cinsiyet, cins, isim…

sexe [masculine], genre [masculine], genre…

sexe, gènere…

geslacht…

ஆண் அல்லது பெண் என்ற உடல் மற்றும் / அல்லது சமூக நிலை, அனைத்து ஆண்களும், அல்லது அனைத்து பெண்களும் ஒரு குழுவாக கருதப்படுகிறார்கள்…

लिंग, एक समूह के रूप में माने जाने वाले सभी पुरुष या महिलाएँ…

લિંગ, બધા પુરુષો અથવા સ્ત્રીઓને એક જૂથ તરીકે ગણવામાં આવે છે…

køn…

genus…

jantina…

das Genus, das Geschlecht…

kjønn [neuter], kjønn, genus…

صنف, جنس, تذکیر و تانیث…

стать…

пол (мужской или женский), род (в грамматике)…

లింగం/ పురుషుడు లేదా స్త్రీ అనే భౌతిక మరియు/లేదా సామాజిక స్థితి, మగవాళ్ళందరూ, లేదా ఆడవాళ్ళందరూ ఒక సమూహంగా పరిగణించబడతారు…

جِنْس…

লিঙ্গ, লিঙ্গ / সমস্ত পুরুষ, বা সমস্ত মহিলা…

rod…

jenis…

เพศ…

(ngôn ngữ học) giống…

płeć, rodzaj…

성, 성 구분…

sesso, genere…

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Gender Matters

Gender-based violence

Exploring gender and gender identity

Sex and gender

Different terms are regularly used in theories of sexuality and gender, for example sex, gender, gender identity, gender expressions, gender roles, sexual orientation. It is important to be clear about the meanings of such terms.

Gender is an area that cuts across thinking about society, law, politics and culture, and it is frequently discussed in relation to other aspects of identity and social position, such as class, ethnicity, age and physical ability. Gender is also an important concept within a range of social and political debates and may influence these debates differently according to cultural context.

Gender is a ‘heavy’ word: politicians and public figures often use it with negative connotations, for example in referring to ‘gender police’, or to ideologies that ‘threaten our kids’. These are examples of how gender can be misunderstood and politicised.

There are some languages which do not have a word for ‘gender’. In such cases, the word ‘sex’ is normally used, and in order to distinguish between sex and gender, different terms may be employed, for example ‘biological sex’ may be used to refer to ‘sex’, and ‘cultural and social sex’ may be used to refer to ‘gender’.

However, even when the terms exist in the language, ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are often used interchangeably.

Definitions of sex and gender

A number of definitions have been put forward by different organisations. They provide a useful starting point for discussion.

The World Health Organisation summarises the difference between sex and gender in the following way:

Sex refers to “the different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc.”

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. It varies from society to society and can be changed. The concept of gender includes five important elements: relational, hierarchical, historical, contextual and institutional. While most people are born either male or female, they are taught appropriate norms and behaviours – including how they should interact with others of the same or opposite sex within households, communities and work places. When individuals or groups do not “fit” established gender norms they often face stigma, discriminatory practices or social exclusion – all of which adversely affect health17.”

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence is the first international human rights document that contains a definition of gender. In Article 3, gender is defined as “socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men.” 18

The European Institute for Gender Equality, an autonomous body of the European Union, provides very extensive definitions of sex and gender:

“Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define humans as female or male. These sets of biological characteristics are not mutually exclusive, as there are individuals who possess both, but these characteristics tend to differentiate humans as females or males.”

“Gender refers to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being female and male and to the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as to the relations between women and those between men. These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialisation processes. They are context- and time-specific, and changeable. Gender determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a woman or a man in a given context. In most societies, there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control over resources, as well as decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader sociocultural context. Other important criteria for sociocultural analysis include class, race, poverty level, ethnic group and age.”19

See also

Exploring gender and gender identity Sex and gender Facilitating discussion on gender issues Gender equality and gender mainstreaming

Download in PDF

Chapter 1: Gender identity, gender-based violence and human rights

Gender Matters, a manual on addressing gender-based violence affecting young people

Other definitions 20 and general differences between the terms

Sex

Sex refers to biological differences between males and females (e.g. gonads, sexual organs, chromosomes, hormones).

Sex is usually assigned at birth (there are examples when it is assigned later, when sex characteristics do not clearly indicate the sex of the baby, for example in the case of ‘intersex’ people).

Sex can be changed: in the case of transsexual people, who are born with the sex characteristics of one sex and gender identity of the other, sex reassignment surgeries are performed. This includes a change of sex organs and the administration of hormones.

Gender

Gender is a social, psychological and cultural construct and it is developed in the process of socialisation. Different societies and cultures may therefore have different understandings of what is ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. Societies create norms and expectations related to gender, and these are learned in the course of people’s lives – including in the family, at school, through the media. All of these influences impose certain roles and patterns of behaviour on everyone within society. Gender norms – often limited to notions of masculinity and femininity – change over time, but are usually based on a heteronormative order which stipulates that there are two sexes (genders) and they are attracted to each other. People who do not appear to fall under this binary notion of gender often suffer from exclusion, discrimination and violence.

Gender is both an analytical category – a way of thinking about how identities are constructed – and a political idea which addresses the distribution of power in society.

Gender norms are learned and internalised by all members of society.

Gender norms vary across different cultures and over time.

Traditional gender norms are hierarchical: they presuppose an unequal power structure related to gender that disadvantages mostly women.

Gender is not necessarily defined by biological sex: a person’s gender may or may not correspond to their biological sex. Gender is more about identity and how we feel about ourselves. People may self-identify as male, female, transgender, other or none (indeterminate/unspecified). People that do not identify as male or female are often grouped under the umbrella terms ‘non-binary’ or ‘genderqueer’, but the range of gender identifications is in reality unlimited.

Gender is deeply personal to every individual: some people recognise their gender identity early in childhood, and some only later on.

Gender intersects with other categories, such as class, skin colour, ethnicity, religion or disability. Read more about intersectionality.

Gender is something we express (gender expression), sometimes intentionally, and sometimes without thinking. We communicate our gender in a number of ways, for example by the way we dress, the way we move, our hair style, and the way we interact with others21.

Gender expression can vary for an individual from day to day or in different situations, but most people can identify a range on the scale where they feel the most comfortable. Some people are comfortable with a wider range of gender expression than others.

Gender may appear to be a complicated idea, but once the biological determinism common in everyday thinking about differences between women and men is challenged, it becomes easier to understand gender.

Aspects of sex will not vary substantially between different human societies and over time, while aspects of gender may vary greatly.

Examples of sex characteristics

Women can menstruate while men cannot.

Men have testicles while women do not.

Women have developed breasts that are usually capable of lactating (producing milk) while men have not.

Men generally have bigger bones than women.

Examples of gender characteristics

In most countries, women earn significantly less than men.

In some countries, the tobacco industry targets women by “feminising” cigarettes packaging for certain brands (small “purse” packs that resemble cosmetics and evoke slimness, the use of “feminine” colours, such as pink).

In most countries of the world, women do more housework than men.

In some countries, the law allows people to marry a partner of the same sex; in other countries this is not allowed.

17 Source: World Health Organization - Gender, equity and human rights: Glossary of terms and tools.

18 The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

19 Source: European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) - Glossary & Thesaurus.

20 You can find more definitions in the Gender Equality Glossary, Council of Europe 2016.

21 Source: Diagram of Sex and Gender. Center for Gender Sanity.

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GENDER Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com

GamesDaily CrosswordWord PuzzleWord FinderAll gamesFeaturedWord of the DaySynonym of the DayWord of the YearNew wordsLanguage storiesAll featuredPop cultureSlangEmojiMemesAcronymsGender and sexualityAll pop cultureWriting tipsGrammar Coach™Writing hubGrammar essentialsCommonly confusedAll writing tipsGamesFeaturedPop cultureWriting tipsgender1[ jen-der ]show ipaSee synonyms for gender on Thesaurus.comnouneither the male or female division of a species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles and behavior: the feminine gender. : Compare sex1 (def. 1). a similar category of human beings that is outside the male/female binary classification.: See also third gender (def. 1), genderqueer (def. 3), nonbinary (def. 3). the concept or system of categories such as male and female: Gender is a factor in pay rates across industries.More and more people have a nonbinary understanding of gender.Grammar. (in many languages) a set of classes that together include all nouns, membership in a particular class being shown by the form of the noun itself or by the form or choice of words that modify, replace, or otherwise refer to the noun, as, in English, the choice ofhe to replace the man, of she to replace the woman, of it to replace the table, of it or she to replace the ship. The number of genders in different languages varies from 2 to more than 20; often the classification correlates in part with sex or animateness. The most familiar sets of genders are of three classes (as masculine, feminine, and neuter in Latin and German) or of two (as common and neuter in Dutch, or masculine and feminine in French and Spanish).one class of such a set.such classes or sets collectively or in general.membership of a word or grammatical form, or an inflectional form showing membership, in such a class.Archaic. kind, sort, or class.See moreverb (used with object)to attribute gender to, or to classify by gender: Gendering soaps seems a bit much—can't men and women use the same products?Usually when I wear my hair down people gender me as female.Origin of gender1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French gendre, genre, from Latin gener- (stem of genus ) “kind, sort”usage note For genderIt is possible to define gender as interchangeable with “sex,” indicating that the term can be used when differentiating male creatures from female ones biologically. However, the concept of gender, a word primarily applied to human beings, has additional connotations having to do with general behavior, social interactions, and most importantly, one's fundamental sense of self. People increasingly recognize that a complex spectrum between male and female exists not only mentally, psychologically, and behaviorally, but also anatomically—there have always been intersex people. The conflation of gender with sex, though historically common, is now often criticized because it is seen by some to be insensitive or dehumanizing. People who do not question their assigned gender are usually referred to as cisgender, or just cis— as in a cis male or a cis female. Using cis is a way to refer to these individuals without implying that cisgender people are the only norm. Those who don't identify with the gender assigned to them at birth are often referred to using the umbrella term transgender, though not everyone labeled in this way accepts the designation. The term transgender includes both binary trans people and those who are outside of the male–female binary in some way, including nonbinary and genderqueer people. After realizing their gender, many transgender people may change the way they dress, speak, or otherwise present themselves. Some may transition medically through surgery, hormone replacement therapy, and other procedures. Some may want to change the language people use to refer to them, including things like given name and pronouns as well as gender labels. This array of life experiences has resulted in a veritable explosion of new, or newly adapted, vocabulary. Other words from gendergen·der·less, adjectiveWords that may be confused with gendergender , sexWords Nearby gendergenappegenappe yarnGenckgendarmegendarmeriegendergender-affirming caregender bendergender binarygender-blindgender-diverseOther definitions for gender (2 of 2)gender2[ jen-der ]show ipaverb (used with or without object)Archaic. to engender.Obsolete. to breed.Origin of gender2First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gendren, from Old French gendrer, from Latin generāre “to beget,” derivative of genus gender1, genus Dictionary.com Unabridged

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024How to use gender in a sentenceI think there’s a lot of talk about trying to figure out a way to make restaurants more equitable, meaning equitable among gender, among races, more equitable among workers that are there.Tom Colicchio Hopes (and Fears) COVID-19 Will Change the Restaurant Industry | Pallabi Munsi | September 16, 2020 | OzyAfter the story was published she said in a note to staff and investors her issue had nothing to do with gender.The losses continue to pile up for hedge fund king Ray Dalio | Bernhard Warner | September 15, 2020 | FortuneStudies have also shown it helps if the person doing the intervention shares characteristics, such as gender or race, with the people for whom the messaging is targeted.Why Coming Up With Effective Interventions To Address COVID-19 Is So Hard | Neil Lewis Jr. (nlewisjr@cornell.edu) | September 14, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightCombining Glemaud’s joyful, gender-neutral, body positive approach with the clean knitwear designs he’s become known for, the designer created three knit bands.Victor Glemaud Launches Knit Bands with Fitbit | Nandi Howard | September 11, 2020 | Essence.comThose gender disparities largely persisted even when the researchers zoomed in on households where men and women both held jobs that could be completed at home.How COVID-19 worsened gender inequality in the U.S. workforce | Sujata Gupta | September 9, 2020 | Science NewsThere was a lot of positive feedback from people interested in non-gender binary people.Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem | David Levesley | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTgender roles exceed the biological circumstances of childbirth and they are, perhaps, much less likely to change.Men Will Someday Have Kids Without Women | Samantha Allen | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThere have been changes in our society on issues of sexual and gender justice.Do LGBTs Owe Christians an Olive Branch? Try The Other Way Around | Jay Michaelson | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe unfortunate reality is that race, gender, and economic status do matter when justice is meted out.The Post-Brown and Garner Question: Who ‘Deserves’ to Die? | Goldie Taylor | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat they will leverage their voices and their power to make real change to improve gender diversity.Tech’s Male ‘Feminists’ Aren’t Helping | Cate Huston, Karen Catlin | December 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey are sometimes represented as being of both sexes, all having the power to change their gender.Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanThough we may not have followed the Greek rule, we to the present day always look upon a ship as of the feminine gender.How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves | W.H.G. KingstonThe sacred scriptures, in Hebrews, bestow on him the masculine gender, and so do the authors of the Greek version.Fishes, Flowers, and Fire as Elements and Deities in the Phallic Faiths and Worship of the Ancient Religions of Greece, Babylon, | AnonymousBut the gender must be changed, when it becomes necessary to speak of separate numbers.Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820 | Henry Rowe SchoolcraftIt is only in the conjugations that the principle of gender becomes lost in that of vitality.Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820 | Henry Rowe SchoolcraftSee More ExamplesBritish Dictionary definitions for gendergender/ (ˈdʒɛndə) /nouna set of two or more grammatical categories into which the nouns of certain languages are divided, sometimes but not necessarily corresponding to the sex of the referent when animate: See also natural genderany of the categories, such as masculine, feminine, neuter, or common, within such a setinformal the state of being male, female, or neuterinformal all the members of one sex: the female genderSee moreOrigin of gender1C14: from Old French gendre, from Latin genus kindDerived forms of gendergenderless, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition

Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Cultural definitions for gendergenderA grammatical category indicating the sex, or lack of sex, of nouns and pronouns. The three genders are masculine, feminine, and neuter. He is a masculine pronoun; she is a feminine pronoun; it is a neuter pronoun. Nouns are classified by gender according to the gender of the pronoun that can substitute for them. In English, gender is directly indicated only by pronouns.The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition

Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Browse#aabbccddeeffgghhiijjkkllmmnnooppqqrrssttuuvvwwxxyyzzAboutCareersShopContact usAdvertise with usCookies, terms, & privacyDo not sell my infoFollow usGet the Word of the Day every day!Sign upBy clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.My account© 2024 Dictionary.com, LLC

A Guide to Understanding Gender Identity and Pronouns : NPR

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A Guide to Understanding Gender Identity and Pronouns How do I make sure I use the right pronouns for someone? And what if I mess up? Language can change quickly. Here's a guide to talking gender in its beautiful complexity.

Special Series Pride Month

A Guide To Gender Identity Terms

June 2, 20216:01 AM ET

Laurel Wamsley

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"Pronouns are basically how we identify ourselves apart from our name. It's how someone refers to you in conversation," says Mary Emily O'Hara, a communications officer at GLAAD. "And when you're speaking to people, it's a really simple way to affirm their identity."

Kaz Fantone for NPR

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Kaz Fantone for NPR

Issues of equality and acceptance of transgender and nonbinary people — along with challenges to their rights — have become a major topic in the headlines. These issues can involve words and ideas and identities that are new to some. That's why we've put together a glossary of terms relating to gender identity. Our goal is to help people communicate accurately and respectfully with one another. Proper use of gender identity terms, including pronouns, is a crucial way to signal courtesy and acceptance. Alex Schmider, associate director of transgender representation at GLAAD, compares using someone's correct pronouns to pronouncing their name correctly – "a way of respecting them and referring to them in a way that's consistent and true to who they are."

Glossary of gender identity terms This guide was created with help from GLAAD. We also referenced resources from the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Trans Journalists Association, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, Human Rights Campaign, InterAct and the American Psychological Association. This guide is not exhaustive, and is Western and U.S.-centric. Other cultures may use different labels and have other conceptions of gender. One thing to note: Language changes. Some of the terms now in common usage are different from those used in the past to describe similar ideas, identities and experiences. Some people may continue to use terms that are less commonly used now to describe themselves, and some people may use different terms entirely. What's important is recognizing and respecting people as individuals. Jump to a term: Sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, cisgender, transgender, nonbinary, agender, gender-expansive, gender transition, gender dysphoria, sexual orientation, intersex Jump to Pronouns: questions and answers Sex refers to a person's biological status and is typically assigned at birth, usually on the basis of external anatomy. Sex is typically categorized as male, female or intersex. Gender is often defined as a social construct of norms, behaviors and roles that varies between societies and over time. 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 expression, gender identity is not outwardly visible to others. For most people, gender identity aligns with the sex assigned at birth, the American Psychological Association notes. For transgender people, gender identity differs in varying degrees from the sex assigned at birth. Gender expression is how a person presents gender outwardly, through behavior, clothing, voice or other perceived characteristics. Society identifies these cues as masculine or feminine, although what is considered masculine or feminine changes over time and varies by culture. Cisgender, or simply cis, is an adjective that describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender, or simply trans, is an adjective used to describe someone whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth. A transgender man, for example, is someone who was listed as female at birth but whose gender identity is male. Cisgender and transgender have their origins in Latin-derived prefixes of "cis" and "trans" — cis, meaning "on this side of" and trans, meaning "across from" or "on the other side of." Both adjectives are used to describe experiences of someone's gender identity. Nonbinary is a term that can be used by people who do not describe themselves or their genders as fitting into the categories of man or woman. A range of terms are used to refer to these experiences; nonbinary and genderqueer are among the terms that are sometimes used. Agender is an adjective that can describe a person who does not identify as any gender. Gender-expansive is an adjective that can describe someone with a more flexible gender identity than might be associated with a typical gender binary. Gender transition is a process a person may take to bring themselves and/or their bodies into alignment with their gender identity. It's not just one step. Transitioning can include any, none or all of the following: telling one's friends, family and co-workers; changing one's name and pronouns; updating legal documents; medical interventions such as hormone therapy; or surgical intervention, often called gender confirmation surgery.

Gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one's sex assigned at birth and one's gender identity. Not all trans people experience dysphoria, and those who do may experience it at varying levels of intensity. Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Some argue that such a diagnosis inappropriately pathologizes gender incongruence, while others contend that a diagnosis makes it easier for transgender people to access necessary medical treatment. Sexual orientation refers to the enduring physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction to members of the same and/or other genders, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight orientations. People don't need to have had specific sexual experiences to know their own sexual orientation. They need not have had any sexual experience at all. They need not be in a relationship, dating or partnered with anyone for their sexual orientation to be validated. For example, if a bisexual woman is partnered with a man, that does not mean she is not still bisexual. Sexual orientation is separate from gender identity. As GLAAD notes, "Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer. For example, a person who transitions from male to female and is attracted solely to men would typically identify as a straight woman. A person who transitions from female to male and is attracted solely to men would typically identify as a gay man." Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe people with differences in reproductive anatomy, chromosomes or hormones that don't fit typical definitions of male and female. Intersex can refer to a number of natural variations, some of them laid out by InterAct. Being intersex is not the same as being nonbinary or transgender, which are terms typically related to gender identity.

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Pronouns: questions and answers What is the role of pronouns in acknowledging someone's gender identity? Everyone has pronouns that are used when referring to them – and getting those pronouns right is not exclusively a transgender issue. "Pronouns are basically how we identify ourselves apart from our name. It's how someone refers to you in conversation," says Mary Emily O'Hara, a communications officer at GLAAD. "And when you're speaking to people, it's a really simple way to affirm their identity." "So, for example, using the correct pronouns for trans and nonbinary youth is a way to let them know that you see them, you affirm them, you accept them and to let them know that they're loved during a time when they're really being targeted by so many discriminatory anti-trans state laws and policies," O'Hara says.

"It's really just about letting someone know that you accept their identity. And it's as simple as that."

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Getting the words right is about respect and accuracy, says Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Kaz Fantone for NPR

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Getting the words right is about respect and accuracy, says Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Kaz Fantone for NPR

What's the right way to find out a person's pronouns? Start by giving your own – for example, "My pronouns are she/her." "If I was introducing myself to someone, I would say, 'I'm Rodrigo. I use him pronouns. What about you?' " says Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, deputy executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. O'Hara says, "It may feel awkward at first, but eventually it just becomes another one of those get-to-know-you questions." Should people be asking everyone their pronouns? Or does it depend on the setting? Knowing each other's pronouns helps you be sure you have accurate information about another person. How a person appears in terms of gender expression "doesn't indicate anything about what their gender identity is," GLAAD's Schmider says. By sharing pronouns, "you're going to get to know someone a little better." And while it can be awkward at first, it can quickly become routine. Heng-Lehtinen notes that the practice of stating one's pronouns at the bottom of an email or during introductions at a meeting can also relieve some headaches for people whose first names are less common or gender ambiguous. "Sometimes Americans look at a name and are like, 'I have no idea if I'm supposed to say he or she for this name' — not because the person's trans, but just because the name is of a culture that you don't recognize and you genuinely do not know. So having the pronouns listed saves everyone the headache," Heng-Lehtinen says. "It can be really, really quick once you make a habit of it. And I think it saves a lot of embarrassment for everybody." Might some people be uncomfortable sharing their pronouns in a public setting? Schmider says for cisgender people, sharing their pronouns is generally pretty easy – so long as they recognize that they have pronouns and know what they are. For others, it could be more difficult to share their pronouns in places where they don't know people.

But there are still benefits in sharing pronouns, he says. "It's an indication that they understand that gender expression does not equal gender identity, that you're not judging people just based on the way they look and making assumptions about their gender beyond what you actually know about them." How is "they" used as a singular pronoun? "They" is already commonly used as a singular pronoun when we are talking about someone, and we don't know who they are, O'Hara notes. Using they/them pronouns for someone you do know simply represents "just a little bit of a switch." "You're just asking someone to not act as if they don't know you, but to remove gendered language from their vocabulary when they're talking about you," O'Hara says. "I identify as nonbinary myself and I appear feminine. People often assume that my pronouns are she/her. So they will use those. And I'll just gently correct them and say, hey, you know what, my pronouns are they/them just FYI, for future reference or something like that," they say. O'Hara says their family and friends still struggle with getting the pronouns right — and sometimes O'Hara struggles to remember others' pronouns, too. "In my community, in the queer community, with a lot of trans and nonbinary people, we all frequently remind each other or remind ourselves. It's a sort of constant mindfulness where you are always catching up a little bit," they say. "You might know someone for 10 years, and then they let you know their pronouns have changed. It's going to take you a little while to adjust, and that's fine. It's OK to make those mistakes and correct yourself, and it's OK to gently correct someone else." What if I make a mistake and misgender someone, or use the wrong words? Simply apologize and move on.

"I think it's perfectly natural to not know the right words to use at first. We're only human. It takes any of us some time to get to know a new concept," Heng-Lehtinen says. "The important thing is to just be interested in continuing to learn. So if you mess up some language, you just say, 'Oh, I'm so sorry,' correct yourself and move forward. No need to make it any more complicated than that. Doing that really simple gesture of apologizing quickly and moving on shows the other person that you care. And that makes a really big difference." Why are pronouns typically given in the format "she/her" or "they/them" rather than just "she" or "they"? The different iterations reflect that pronouns change based on how they're used in a sentence. And the "he/him" format is actually shorter than the previously common "he/him/his" format. "People used to say all three and then it got down to two," Heng-Lehtinen laughs. He says staff at his organization was recently wondering if the custom will eventually shorten to just one pronoun. "There's no real rule about it. It's absolutely just been habit," he says.

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But he notes a benefit of using he/him and she/her: He and she rhyme. "If somebody just says he or she, I could very easily mishear that and then still get it wrong." What does it mean if a person uses the pronouns "he/they" or "she/they"? "That means that the person uses both pronouns, and you can alternate between those when referring to them. So either pronoun would be fine — and ideally mix it up, use both. It just means that they use both pronouns that they're listing," Heng-Lehtinen says. Schmider says it depends on the person: "For some people, they don't mind those pronouns being interchanged for them. And for some people, they are using one specific pronoun in one context and another set of pronouns in another, dependent on maybe safety or comfortability."

The best approach, Schmider says, is to listen to how people refer to themselves. Why might someone's name be different than what's listed on their ID? Heng-Lehtinen notes that there's a perception when a person comes out as transgender, they change their name and that's that. But the reality is a lot more complicated and expensive when it comes to updating your name on government documents. "It is not the same process as changing your last name when you get married. There is bizarrely a separate set of rules for when you are changing your name in marriage versus changing your name for any other reason. And it's more difficult in the latter," he says. "When you're transgender, you might not be able to update all of your government IDs, even though you want to," he says. "I've been out for over a decade. I still have not been able to update all of my documents because the policies are so onerous. I've been able to update my driver's license, Social Security card and passport, but I cannot update my birth certificate." "Just because a transgender person doesn't have their authentic name on their ID doesn't mean it's not the name that they really use every day," he advises. "So just be mindful to refer to people by the name they really use regardless of their driver's license." NPR's Danielle Nett contributed to this report.

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比特派App下载|gender

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Gender - Wikipedia

Sex and gender: Meanings, definition, identity, and expression

Gender

Gender Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Gender | Psychology Today

GENDER | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Gender identity | Definition, Theories, & Facts | Britannica

Sex and gender - Gender Matters

GENDER Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com

A Guide to Understanding Gender Identity and Pronouns : NPR

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比特派App下载|gender

比特派App下载|gender

Gender - Wikipedia

Sex and gender: Meanings, definition, identity, and expression

Gender

Gender Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Gender | Psychology Today

GENDER | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

Gender identity | Definition, Theories, & Facts | Britannica

Sex and gender - Gender Matters

GENDER Definition & Usage Examples | Dictionary.com

A Guide to Understanding Gender Identity and Pronouns : NPR

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