Disclaimer: This is solely my understanding of sex vs gender based on the information learned in a university course as well as information learned through research.
The differentiation between that of sex and gender is something that has been on my mind for a while now. By “for a while now," I mean about six straight months. Prior to attending my first year of college, I never consciously knew that there was a clear difference between sex and gender.
It wasn’t until I took a social work class during my spring semester called “Diversity in a Multicultural Society” that I truly became aware of the difference and actually understood the gravity of learning and acknowledging the difference. This course discussed every possible form of “Diversity” ranging from race, socioeconomic status, ability, sexual orientation, sex and gender, etc… Walking out of that course kept my mind racing for answers to the questions that had originated from my lack of understanding of such topics.
Growing up, I was taught that sex and gender were essentially interchangeable. I quickly learned that sex and gender are not interchangeable at all. In fact, sex and gender are both separate and unique entities, but unfortunately, our society has melded them together and has consistently failed to teach us such a contrast. It is important that myself and others understand the differences between the two because understanding the difference is crucial to the advancement of the human race.
I did some research to truly understand the difference. I chose a trusted dictionary source known as “Oxford English Dictionary”. I decided to look up the definitions for both sex and gender to truly capture the differences. The definitions came out to the following:
Sex: “Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.”
Gender: “Either of the two sexes (male and female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female.”
The key point that emerges from the definition of sex is “divided on the basis of their reproductive functions”. Medical News Today proclaims that “it is genetics which defines the sex of an individual”. Someone’s sex is only determined by his/her functional contribution to the process of reproduction. People who are born with penises are categorized as males while people who are born with vaginas are categorized as females. That is the extent to which sex can apply to a human being. Contribution to reproduction is the outstanding point here.
The key point that emerges from the definition of gender is “Either of the two sexes…when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones”. Medical News Today claims that “gender tends to denote the social and cultural role of each sex within a given society”. Family traditions, the media, and education play major roles in the development of gender roles within societies.
Within given societies, norms are constructed between men and women based on actions that seem more masculine or feminine which ultimately shapes their placement and expectations within their own societies. As all societies differ in norms, traditions, and beliefs, the gender roles for certain genders in one society may differ from that in another society.
To expand a bit on the gender aspect, gender expression has played a huge role within the discussion of genders. There are a variety of genders it isn't solely limited to the genders of men and women, to name a few, some of them include:
Cisgender: a person whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex
Genderqueer: A person whose gender expression and identity does not confine within the subscription of being solely masculine or feminine
Trans woman: A person who was born a male but identifies as a woman
Trans man: A person who was born a female but identifies as a man
I did not go too into detail, but I attempted to touch the surface of this very important topic. Learning and acknowledging the differences between one’s sex and one’s gender is crucial. It is important that we all get to work to attempt to understand this complex topic. I am not an expert on this topic, I, myself, am still constantly yearning to learn more.This has been a topic that has been racing through my mind for a while and it has been an honor to share some of my understanding of this topic, as well as acknowledging the help that Oxford English dictionary and The Medial News Today played in my execution of this topic.
To help with the topic, I found a Youtube video that discusses the difference between Sex and Gender in two minutes. This video built a basis of understanding for me. It is very short but discusses the crucial points of this topic. I urge you to take some time and watch it: https://youtu.be/cj7pZxnI_Pc.
