5.4: Differentiation Between Sex and Gender
Gender is a complex subject, but could be better understood when we learn to differentiate biology from gender expression. Nevertheless, while gender may begin with the assignment of our sex, it doesn’t end there. According to Understanding Gender, n.d., a person’s gender is the complex interrelationship between three dimensions: body, identity, and social gender.
Body : Our body, our experience of our own body, how society genders bodies, and how others interact with us based on our body.
Identity : The name we use to convey our gender based on our deeply held, internal sense of self. Identities typically fall into binary (e.g. man, woman), nonbinary (e.g., genderqueer, genderfluid, etc.), or ungendered (e.g., agender, genderless) categories. The meaning associated with a particular identity can vary among individuals using the same term. A person’s gender identity can correspond to or differ from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Social gender : How we present our gender in the world and how individuals, society, culture, and community perceive, interact with, and try to shape our gender. Social gender includes roles and expectations and how society uses those to try to enforce conformity to current gender norms (Understanding gender, n.d.).
The connection between one’s gender and physical appearance extends beyond reproductive functions. Gender experience is based on a broader scientific basis, according to research in Neurology, hormones, and Cellular Biology. Indeed, research is increasingly pointing to our brains as a crucial factor in how we uniquely experience gender (Understanding gender, n.d.). Given the fact that gender identity is separate from sex, not everyone identifies within the binary (male or female). For a broader analysis of gender beyond the binary, let’s look at gender as a spectrum.