Historically, the terms “sex” and “gender” have been used interchangeably, but their uses are increasingly distinct and it is important to understand the differences between the two.
This article will examine the meaning of "sex" and the differences between the sexes. It will also examine the meaning of 'gender' and the concepts of gender roles, gender identity and gender expression.
In general terms, "sex" refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as genitals and genetic differences.
“Gender” is more difficult to define, but it can refer to the role of a man or woman in society, known as the gender role, or the concept that an individual has of. themselves, or gender identity.
Sometimes a person's genetically assigned sex does not match their gender identity. These people can identify as transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming.
The differences between the male and female sexes are anatomical and physiological. “Sex” tends to be related to biological differences.
For example, male and female genitalia, internal and external, are different. Likewise, the levels and types of hormones found in male and female bodies are different.
Genetic factors define gender of an individual. Women have 46 chromosomes including two Xs and men 46, including one X and one Y. The Y chromosome is dominant and carries the signal for the embryo to start the growth of the testes.
Both men and women have testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. However, women have higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, and men have higher levels of testosterone.
The male / female division is often viewed as binary, but this is not entirely true. For example, some men are born with two or three X chromosomes, just as some women are born with one Y chromosome.
In some cases, a child is born with a mixture of female and male genitalia. They are sometimes called intersex, and parents can decide what gender to assign to the child. Intersex individuals represent approximately On 1 1500 the births.
Some people believe that sex should be viewed as a continuum rather than two mutually exclusive categories.
Gender tends to refer to the social and cultural role of each sex in a given society. Rather than being purely attributed by genetics, as gender differences usually are, people often develop their gender roles. in response to their environment, including family interactions, media, peers and education.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the genre as:
“Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles and relationships between and among groups of women and men. It varies from company to company and can be changed. "
Gender roles in some societies are more rigid than in others.
The degree of decision-making and financial responsibility expected of each gender, and the amount of time women or men are expected to devote to household chores and child rearing vary across cultures. Within the larger culture, families also have their standards.
Gender roles are not set in stone.
In many societies, men are increasingly assuming roles traditionally seen as belonging to women, and women are playing roles previously assigned primarily to men.
Gender roles and gender stereotypes are very fluid and can change dramatically over time.
Who wears the high heels?
For example, high-heeled shoes, now considered feminine in much of the world, were originally designed for upper class men to use when horse hunting.
When women started to wear high heels, male heels gradually got shorter and bigger as female heels got higher and higher.
Over time, the perception of the high heel gradually became feminine. There is nothing inherently feminine about the high heel. Social norms have done it.
Pink for a girl and blue for a boy?
In many countries, pink is considered a suitable color for a girl, while boys are dressed in blue.
However, infants were dressed in white until colorful baby clothes were introduced in the mid-19th century.
le next quote comes from a trade publication called Earnshaw Babies Department, published in 1918:
« The generally accepted rule is pink for boys and blue for girls. The reason is that pink, being a more pronounced and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and delicate, is prettier for the girl.
Step forward 100 years and it is rare to find a baby boy dressed in pink in many countries.
Another meaning of gender is an individual's view of themselves or their gender identity.
GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) describes gender identity as:
« The internal and personal feeling of being a man or a woman. For transgender people, their own internal gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.
Most people have a male or female (or boy or girl) gender identity. For some people, their gender identity does not fit perfectly into one of these two choices. "
Likewise, GLAAD describes gender expression as follows:
« External manifestations of gender, expressed through name, pronouns, clothing, hairstyle, demeanor, voice, or body characteristics. Society identifies these signals as masculine and feminine, although what is considered masculine and feminine changes over time and varies by culture.
To conclude, in general terms, “sex” refers to biological characteristics and “gender” refers to perceptions of the sexuality of the individual and of society and to the malleable concepts of masculinity and femininity.
