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10.1: Sex and Gender Distinction

  • Page ID
    5626
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    The distinction between sex and gender differentiates sex (the anatomy of an individual’s reproductive system, and secondary sex characteristics) from gender, which can refer to either social roles based on the sex of the person (gender role) or personal identification of one’s own gender based on an internal awareness (gender identity).[1][2] In some circumstances, an individual’s assigned sex and gender do not align, and the person may be transgender,[1] non-binary, or gender-nonconforming.

    The sex and gender distinction is not universal. In ordinary speech, sexand gender are often used interchangeably.[3][4] Some dictionaries and academic disciplines give them different definitions while others do not.

    Among scientists, the term sex differences (as compared to gender differences) is typically applied to sexually dimorphic traits that are hypothesized to be evolved consequences of sexual selection.[5][6]

    Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the two sexes of the same species exhibit different characteristics beyond the differences in their sexual organs.

    References

    1. a b Prince, Virginia. 2005. “Sex vs. Gender.” International Journal of Transgenderism. 8(4).
    2. Neil R., Carlson (2010). Psychology: The science of behavior. Fourth Canadian edition. Pearson. pp. 140–141. ISBN 978-1-57344-199-5.
    3. a b Udry, J. Richard (November 1994). “The Nature of Gender” (PDF). Demography 31 (4): 561–573. doi:10.2307/2061790.JSTOR 2061790. PMID 7890091.
    4. a b c Haig, David (April 2004). “The Inexorable Rise of Gender and the Decline of Sex: Social Change in Academic Titles, 1945–2001″(PDF). Archives of Sexual Behavior 33 (2): 87–96. doi:10.1023/B:ASEB.0000014323.56281.0d. PMID 15146141.
    5. a b Mealey, L. (2000). Sex differences. NY: Academic Press.
    6. a b Geary, D. C. (2009) Male, Female: The Evolution of Human Sex Differences. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association

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