Gender identity

In sociology, gender identity describes the gender with which a person identifies (i.e, whether one perceives oneself to be a man, a woman, or describes oneself in some less conventional way), but can also be used to refer to the gender that other people attribute to the individual on the basis of what they know from gender role indications (clothing, hair style, etc.).

Gender identity - below the surface

In the overwhelming majority of cases there is no difficulty determining sex and gender. The overwhelming majority of human beings are considered to be either men or women. Before the 20th century a person's sex would be determined entirely by the appearance of the genitalia, but as chromosomes and genes came to be understood, these were then used to help determine sex. Most often, men have male genitalia, one X and one Y chromosome; and women female genitalia and have two X chromosomes. However some people consider that they do not fit these categories, and some have combinations of chomosomes, hormones, and genitalia that do not follow the typical definitions of "men" and "women". Recent research suggests that one in every hundred individuals may have an atypical sex.

Related Topics:
Human being - Men - Women - 20th century - Chromosome - Gene - Genitalia - Atypical sex

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The most easily understood case in which it becomes necessary to distinguish between sex and gender is that in which the external genitalia are removed - when such a thing happens through accident or through deliberate intent, the libido and the ability of express oneself in sexual activity are changed, but the individual does not for that reason cease to regard himself as a boy or a man. One such case is reported in As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto. It details the persistence of a male gender identity and the stubborn adherence to a male gender role of a person whose penis had been totally destroyed shortly after birth as the result of a botched circumcision, and who had subsequently been surgically reassigned by constructing female genitalia. So the term "gender identity" is broader than the sex of the individual as determined by examination of the external genitalia.

Related Topics:
Libido - Circumcision

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