Gender

Gender Definition

Humans use the terms female and male in our daily lives quite often. Psychologists also care about gender differences when conducting research. But do we actually know how gender is defined?

It’s important to note that given that gender is a sense, it is subjective. A person with specific traits may experience gender in a way which may differ from the experience of the gender of someone else. In this way, gender is not black or white.

In society, for example, men are often expected to be more aggressive, and women are expected to be more caring. These stereotypes associated with given genders can make people not feel that their sex matches the gender assigned to them by society.

A male who shows likes wearing women’s clothes may not feel comfortable identifying as a male. This is known as gender dysphoria.

Difference between Sex and Gender

Although sex and gender are somewhat related, there are differences between both terms.

Gender refers to the psychological and cultural differences between males and females. This includes attitudes, behaviours, and social roles. These can be stereotypical and do not necessarily fit with someone’s personal experience of gender.

Sex refers to the biological differences between men and women. These differences take many forms:

• Chromosomes: chromosomal structure differs in men (XY) and women (XX).

• Hormones: these influence the development of reproductive organs and sexual characteristics

Atypical Sex Chromosome Patterns

Although most people conform to the XY / XX chromosome patterns, some have atypical chromosomes. Two examples of this are Klinefelter’s Syndrome and Turner’s Syndrome.

Klinefelter’s Syndrome affects men; it is when a person has an extra X chromosome. A tall physique, small, infertile testes, and enlarged breasts characterise this. The Syndrome affects one in every 660 males.

Whereas Turner’s Syndrome is when women have only one X chromosome. This causes developmental abnormalities such as underdeveloped ovaries, shortness, and infertility.

Gender Stereotypes

Gender stereotypes refer to societal expectations that dictate male and female-appropriate behaviour.

Regarding social relationships, males are expected to be confident and fun, while females are expected to be slightly laid back and sophisticated.

Fig. 1. Picture of a female nurse as a representation of gender stereotypes.

Despite gender stereotypes, not all individuals feel reflected in these characteristics. Androgyny is a term used to refer to individuals who show features typical of both males and females. It refers to the presence of both calmness and agitation or bravery and softness in a single person in different situations.

Bem Sex Role Inventory (1974) was developed to measure this. It consisted of 40 characteristics commonly identified as either ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’. Participants had to rate themselves on a 1-7 scale to determine if they were more masculine, feminine, or androgynous.

Types of Gender

As you can see from the definition of gender, the term is limited by a person’s perception of their own body and identity. This makes gender a broad concept with many categories to fit all kinds of people.

Types of gender are usually called gender identities. The term type implied classification and difference, while the research on gender aims to make everyone feel safe and represented in themselves.

Here we will present and define ten different gender identities:

1. Male refers to the gender identity that comes along with the presence of male biological characteristics.
2. Female refers to the gender identity that comes along with the presence of female biological characteristics.Those individuals whose gender expression matches the one given at birth can also be called cisgender.
3. Transgender refers to the gender that differs from the one assigned by sex due to the biological characteristics given.
4. Gender neutral refers to individuals who do not identify as females or males.
5. Non-binary refers to people who do not identify as a male or a female and not believing in the existence of only those two genders.
6. Agender is the term that includes individuals who do not identify with a particular gender and that do not have an identity based on gender.
7. Pangender refers to the type of gender identity that is not limited to a single category. These individuals exhibit and experience different genders at the same time.
8. Gender outlaw refers to the gender identity through which individuals reject society’s idea of defining them as female or male.
9. Two-spirit refers to the umbrella term that is used to acknowledge different sexualities and genders that are known to exist in Indigenous Native American communities.
10. Omnigender refers to the gender identity that experiences all genders as a whole.

Fig. 2. Picture of LGBT+ flags which symbolise sexual and gender diversity

Gender Dysphoria

Despite the many gender identities, not all individuals can find a category that reflects their identity. And this triggers the emergence of gender-related difficulties.

Gender dysphoria refers to the sense that who one is and who one sees are not aligned. It refers to the unease individuals experience when they experience a distinction between their gender and biological sex.

Although gender dysphoria is not an illness, it is usually accompanied by psychological distress. Individuals with gender dysphoria typically present the following signs:

• Low self-esteem
• Social isolation
• Depression
• Neglecting their own needs

Individuals with gender dysphoria usually undergo hormonal treatments or surgery to align their biological and physical looks with their gender identity.

Cognitive Explanations of Gender

There are two cognitive approaches to gender that we’ll look at, Kohlberg’s theory and the gender schema theory.

Kohlberg’s Theory

One of the first explanations of gender development, Kohlberg’s theory, states that gender develops in three stages:

1. Gender identity: At around two years old, the child begins to recognise their gender and the gender of others.
2. Gender stability: At around four years old, the child now understands that their gender is ‘fixed’ and that they will grow up as a boy or a girl.
3. Gender constancy: At around six or seven years old, the child realises their gender is consistent over time and situations. As such, they begin to behave in ‘gender appropriate’ ways and identify with people of the same gender.

Gender Schema Theory

A schema is a cognitive framework derived from the experience that helps us process information. Gender schemas direct someone’s understanding of their own gender and gender-appropriate behaviour in general.

Psychodynamic Approach to Gender

The psychodynamic theory of gender is probably one of the most famous theories to come out of psychology.

Freud’s Oedipus complex and Electra complex state that gender results from attraction to one parent and fear/jealousy of the other.

This fear leads to identification and internalisation, wherein children internalise their parents’ behaviours, essentially acquiring gender identity.

Social Learning Theory

The social learning approach combines learning theory with cognitive factors to explain behaviour, for example, by using indirect and direct reinforcement to explain thoughts and behaviour.

Indirect reinforcement of gender-conforming behaviour occurs when children see it rewarded in others, such as on TV.

Finally, children also identify with the people around them and model the gender roles they display to ‘be like’ them.