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Sex Versus Gender

People often use the terms “sex” and “gender” interchangeably, but this is incorrect. Sex and gender are different, and it is crucial to understand why.

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.

For centuries, many societies have enforced the notion that a person is either a man or woman based on their physical characteristics. This idea conflates sex and gender, which is incorrect. Sex and gender are not the same.

In general terms, sex refers to a person’s physical characteristics at birth, and gender encompasses a person’s identities, expressions, and societal roles.

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.

[Source: Medical News Today]

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More Than Just Physical

Sex and gender are terms that are often used interchangeably and frequently seen as synonymous. For purposes of a discussion that leads to greater understanding of human sexuality, let’s consider sex and gender as separate concepts. Additionally, let’s examine variations and aspects of sex and gender. And let’s further consider the notion that one’s sex and gender may not be defined in the extremes but instead along a continuum.

Sex and gender can be discussed and understood in terms of physical, psychological, social, and emotional perspectives. What do the various labels mean? What is meant by sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation? This is an attempt to delineate the differences and clarify the terminology.

SEX

Physical
Male | Female

Sex is described with regard to physical elements and in terms of one’s biology and anatomy. A person’s sex is defined as his or her medical assignment (natal sex) as manifest through organs, genitals, hormones, and chromosomes. A person might be male or female. Or a person might be intersex (hermaphroditic).

GENDER IDENTITY

Psychological
Man | Woman

Gender identity is one’s psychological understanding of self. It is defined in terms of perceptions, and self concept. A person’s gender identity can be described as the way in which he or she views him or herself and how they feel inside. A person might be a man (boy) or a woman (girl). If a person's gender identity matches their sex/gender at birth, they are referred to as cisgender. Or a person might be transgender, genderqueer, agender, two-spirit, or third-gender.

GENDER EXPRESSION

Social
Masculine | Feminine

Gender expression is a social construct. It can be defined with regard to societal expectations and interpretations. It is society's standards for masculine and feminine presentation. A person’s gender expression can be described as the way in which he or she communicates his or her gender to others. It is manifest through outward appearance, mannerisms, clothing, hair style, and speech pattern. A person might be masculine (butch) or feminine (femme). Or a person might be androgynous (andro) or transvestite (drag).

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Emotional
Homosexual | Heterosexual

Sexual orientation is described as one’s emotional identity. It can be defined in terms of one’s romantic or erotic response. A person’s sexual orientation is described with regard to sexual behavior and is manifest through attraction, affection, relationships, and love. A person who is attracted to persons of the same sex are homosexual (gay, lesbian) and a person who is attracted to persons of the opposite sex are heterosexual (straight). A person might also be bisexual (both sexes), asexual (neither sex), or pansexual (all variations).

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Sex and Gender Across the Spectrum

In an attempt to understand sex and gender, it is important to consider new perspectives and ever-widening definitions and understandings of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression as they exist across a spectrum of experiences.

To that end, one of the key points is the concept of a non-binary understanding of sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. There is a long-respected research-based view of an individual’s range of experiences along a continuum. Matters of sex and gender should not be defined in mutually exclusive dualistic terms, but in more fluid, sometimes ambiguous, terms. It is important to consider gray areas in between the two black and white extremes. When thinking about sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, researchers have come to embrace a view that understands a range of experiences on a kind of broad-band spectrum.

When thinking about the sexual notions of male and female, we are asked to also consider a variety of definitions in between the two binary labels, including intersex presentations.

When thinking about the gender identity notions of man (boy) and woman (girl), we are asked to also consider a range of definitions in between the two designations, including gender fluid, gender non-conforming, gender variant, gender queer, and agender identities. Transgender persons fall within this spectrum.

When thinking about the gender expression notions of masculine and feminine, we are asked to also consider a variety of ambiguous or mixed expressions in between, including androgynous or unisex expressions.

When thinking about the sexual orientation notions of heterosexual (straight) and homosexual (gay, lesbian), we are asked to also consider a range of definitions in between the two extremes, including bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, polysexual, and asexual orientations.

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Sex and Gender Definitions

BIOLOGICAL SEX

Biological sex (natal sex, medical assignment) includes external genitalia, internal reproductive structures, chromosomes, hormone levels, and secondary sex characteristics such as breasts, facial and body hair, and fat distribution. These characteristics are objective in that they can be seen and measured (with appropriate technology). The scale consists not just of two categories (male and female) but is actually a continuum, with most people existing somewhere near one end or the other. The space more in the middle is occupied by intersex people (formerly, hermaphrodites), who have combinations of characteristics typical of males and those typical of females, such as both a testis and an ovary, or XY chromosomes (the usual male pattern) and a vagina, or they may have features that are not completely male or completely female, such as an organ that could be thought of as a small penis or a large clitoris, or an XXY chromosomal pattern.

GENDER IDENTITY

Gender identity is how people think of themselves and identify in terms of being a man or woman (boy or girl). Gender identity is a psychological quality. Unlike biological sex, it can't be observed or measured (at least by current means), only reported by the individual. Like biological sex, it consists of more than two categories, and there's space in the middle for those who identify as a third gender, both (two-spirit), or neither (genderqueer). We lack language for this intermediate position because everyone in our culture is supposed to identify unequivocally with one of the two extreme categories. In fact, many people feel that they have masculine and feminine aspects of their psyches, and some people, fearing that they do, seek to purge themselves of one or the other by acting in exaggerated sex-stereotyped ways.

GENDER EXPRESSION

Gender expression is everything we do that communicates (or publicly presents) our sex/gender to others: clothing, hair styles, mannerisms, way of speaking, and roles we take in interactions. This communication may be purposeful or accidental. It could also be called social gender because it relates to interactions between people. Trappings of one gender or the other may be forced on us as children or by dress codes at school or work. Gender expression is a continuum, with feminine at one end and masculine at the other. In between are gender expressions that are androgynous (neither masculine nor feminine) and those that combine elements of the two (sometimes called gender bending or gender creative). 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.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Sexual orientation indicates who we are erotically attracted to. It can sometimes be more helpful to label the two ends of this scale as "attracted to women" and "attracted to men," rather than "homosexual" and "heterosexual," to avoid confusion as we discuss the concepts of sex and gender. In the mid-range is bisexuality. There are also people who are asexual (attracted to neither men nor women). We tend to think of most people as falling into one of the two extreme categories (attracted to women or attracted to men), whether they are straight or gay, with only a small minority clustering around the bisexual middle. However, Kinsey's studies showed that most people are in fact not at one extreme of this continuum or the other, but occupy some position between.

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Beyond the Binary

In the United States, gender has historically been defined as a binary. Many other cultures have long recognized third genders or do not recognize a binary that matches the American understanding. In any case, the idea of gender as an either/or issue is incorrect.

Someone who identifies with the gender that they were assigned at birth is called “cisgender.” Someone who is not cisgender and does not identify within the gender binary (of man or woman, boy or girl) may identify as nonbinary, genderfluid, or genderqueer, among other identities. A person whose gender identity is different from their natal sex might identify as transgender.

A 2016 review confirms that gender exists on a broad spectrum, in contrast to the genetic definitions of sex. A person may 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.

[Source: Medical News Today]

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The Sociology of Gender

The sociology of gender is a prominent subfield of sociology. Social interaction directly correlated with sociology regarding social structure. One of the most important social structures is status. This is determined based on position that an individual possesses which effects how he/she will be treated by society. One of the most important statuses an individual claims is gender. Public discourse and the academic literature generally use the term gender for the perceived or projected (self-identified) masculinity or femininity of a person.

The term "gender role" was coined by John Money in a seminal 1955 paper where 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."

A person's gender is complex, encompassing countless characteristics of appearance, speech, movement and other factors not solely limited to biological sex. Societies tend to have binary gender systems in which everyone is categorized as male or female. Some societies include a third gender role. For instance, the Native American Two-Spirit people and the Hijras of India.

Gender is 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 US reflects this shift.

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Romantic Attraction

In the broad realm of sexual identity, consider these objective terms used to clinically describe romantic attraction:

--Androphilic/Androsexual: Attraction to men, males, and/or masculinity
--Gynephilic/Gynesexual: Attraction to women, females, and/or femininity
--Skoliophilic/Skoliosexual: Attraction to non-cisgender people, including genderqueer and transgender people and expressions

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Sex and Gender Categories

Consider these sex and gender categories and the related terms within each category:

--Biological Sex: Male / Female / Intersex

--Gender Expression: Masculine / Butch / Feminine / Femme / Androgynous

--Gender Identity: Cisgender / Transgender / Genderqueer / Agender
--Sexual Orientation: Straight / Gay / Lesbian / Bisexual / Pansexual / Asexual

--Romantic Attraction: Aromantic / Biromantic / Panromantic

--Sexual Identity: Androphilic / Gynephilic / Skoliophilic

--Commitment Style: Casual / Polyamorous / Monogamous

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Identity and Expression

A person may identify and express their gender in different ways.

Gender identity is how a person feels internally, while their expression is how they present themselves to the outside world. For example, a person may identify as nonbinary but present as a man to the outside world.

GLAAD (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.”

[Source: Medical News Today]

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Binary System

A significant barrier to creating fully inclusive schools is the presumption that sex, gender, and sexual orientation fit neatly into a binary model. This binary world is populated by boys and girls who are viewed as polar opposites. This world conflates biology, gender expression, gender identity, and sexual orientation, relegating people to rigid categories: male or female, gay or straight.

Schools have a history of reinforcing binary perceptions of sex and gender. Even before children enter most schools for the first time, parents or guardians are asked to check male or female boxes on registration forms. On the first day of school, teachers might shepherd students to class in boy and girl lines. Restrooms are designated for boys and girls. Everywhere there are expectations about what kind of imaginative play and dress-up is appropriate for whom, about who is naturally rambunctious and who is predestined to quiet studying. As students get older, they are subjected to gendered expectations about extracurricular activities, dating and dress, even what colleges and careers they’re encouraged to pursue after graduation.

If we truly want to include all students, we need to look beyond binaries to create practices that include school communities’ diverse representation of biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.

Biological Sex

Sex refers to a person’s anatomy, physical attributes such as external sex organs, sex chromosomes, and internal reproductive structures. For most people, the anatomical indicators of sex line up in a way that is typically understood as male or female. However, intersex conditions also occur naturally in all species, including humans. Intersex refers to a variety of conditions in which an individual is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t fit the typical understanding of female or male bodies.

In the past three decades, more than 25 genes have been identified that were once believed to be associated solely with male or female biology, but in fact exhibit more complex, nonbinary variations. With the advent of new scientific knowledge, it is increasingly evident that biological sex does not fit a binary model. Intersex conditions are increasingly being recognized as naturally occurring variations of human physiology.

Following years of organizing by intersex activists, momentum is growing to end what was once a standard practice of “gender-normalizing surgery” performed on intersex infants with ambiguous genitalia. In 2013, the United Nations condemned the use of this unnecessary surgery on infants, putting it in the same category as involuntary sterilization, unethical experimentation or reparative therapy when enforced or administered without the free and informed consent of the person receiving the surgery.

Gender Identity

Gender identity is an individual’s deeply held sense of being male, female, or another gender. This is separate from biological sex. Some children become aware at a very young age that their gender identity does not align with their physical sex characteristics, even expressing the disconnect as soon as they can talk. Other transgender and gender-expansive people recognize their gender identity during adolescence or adulthood.

Individuals whose biological sex and gender identity “match” rarely think about the alignment of biology and identity because they have the privilege of being considered normal by society. People whose gender identity and biological sex align are called cisgender. Cisgender is an important word because it names the dominant experience rather than simply seeing it as the default.

Individuals living comfortably outside of typical male/female expectations and identities are found in every region of the globe. The calabai and calalai of Indonesia, the two-spirit Native Americans found in some First Nation cultures, and the hijra of India all represent more complex understandings of gender than a binary gender model allows. At least seven countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, India, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan) recognize a third gender for legal documents. As people around the world use a growing variety of terms to communicate their gender identities, Facebook now offers its users 52 options with which to define their gender.

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