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What is gender, anyway?

Sex vs gender

Sex:

  • Identified by anatomy

  • Determined by chromosomes, hormones and their interactions

  • Generally male or female

  • Typically assigned at birth

Gender:

  • Behaviours and attitudes

  • Shaped by social factors and culture

  • Non-binary and not static

  • Gender may not match sex at birth

Intersex:

  • Intersex people have innate sex characteristics that don’t fit medical and social norms for male or female bodies, and that create risks or experiences of stigma, discrimination and harm: - Intersex Human Rights Australia

  • 40+ intersex variations

  • Affects 1.7% of the population

  • Not the same as “non-binary”

The history of gender

  1. Human sexuality as a religious issue

    • Going against will of God

    • Homosexuality and gender identity seen as a choice

      • Enormous guilt and shame

    • Karl Heinrich-Ulrichs

      • Was the first to make it less of a sin

      • Said that attraction was innate

      • Believed to be the first ever person to “come out”

      • Responsible for suggesting a third gender “a man with a female soul confined in a man’s body”

  2. Dr John Money

    • Gender roles vs gender identity

    • Biological sex ≠ gender identity

    • Gender roles are learnt

    • One of the first people to recognise the fluid nature of gender

  3. DSM

    • DSM I-III: “Gender Identity Disorder”

    • DSM V: “Gender Dysphoria”

Gender and culture

  • Two gender categorisation is most common cross-culturally

  • But there are many cultures who have 3-7 genders

  • A few third-gender cultures include:

    • Hijra (Indian culture, identify as neither male or female)

    • Kathoey (3rd gender in Thailand, people who were assigned male at birth but feel female)

    • Two spirit (North American)

    • Sister-girl and brother-boys

      • Distinct from Sistagirl and Brothaboy

  • Bugis (Indonesian population that recognises 5 different genders)

Developing gender awareness

  • Develops in a predictable pattern

    • 3-4 months:

      • Recognising different gender faces

    • 6 months:

      • Discriminating gnder based on voice

    • 10 months

      • Making category-based gender associations

    • 18-24 months:

      • Understanding of gender labels (eg., “lady”, “man”)

      • By the time a child is 2 they can select a photo that represents their own gender

      • They can also understand the roles of different genders

  • Biologically or socially facilitated

    • As children understand gender they are developing self-awareness

    • BUT more gender aware children increase their gender stereotyped toys