What is Gender?
Gender can constitute a major part of a person’s identity. While it is taught as being fundamental to what we are, people fail to understand its true origin and purpose.
Unlike sex, which is defined biologically, gender is a concept created by humans. In other words, it is a social construct. Gender has evolved extensively over time. The gender binary, that identified two genders — male and female — has been abode by for a large part since the 18th century.
Gender is a socioeconomic definition of characteristics, too often reduced to a binary. This binary often decides norms, roles, rights and responsibilities, nature of relationships, clothes, behaviors, social treatment and power, and access to resources, to name a few. This has shown to change over time and place.
Gender being socially constructed means that it is defined differently by different societies. While a large portion of the world stuck to the gender binary, there were several communities that acknowledged and embraced the existence of other genders; such as the Incas that worship a dual gender god and the Sakalavas of Madagascar, who are female looking boys, raised as girls. It is believed that they possess supernatural protection that keeps them from harm.
Gender is interactional in the sense that one develops a sense and understanding of it based on the social interaction they have with others. Gender is omnirelevant- people are constantly judging your behaviour as male or female. The first thing announced after the birth of a child is their gender. As they grow, they interact with others and the way they are treated affects how they perceive themselves to some extent. Factors such as the toys they play with, the colors they are meant like, or other stereotypes dictate what they should grow to be.
Men are frequently told they aren’t manly enough while women are criticised for not being feminine enough. Femininity and masculinity have been defined by patriarchs or those who believe in the superiority of men. Such gender roles create a rigidity of sorts in society.
Gender is not what you think I am, gender is what I think I am.
The three pillars that help one identify as a particular gender are:
- Biological Sex — Defined as male or female based on genitalia, chromosomes and hormones
- Gender Identity- The way one perceives themselves; as male or female, both or neither
- Gender Expression — How a person expresses and presents their gender: including their behavior, interest, outward appearance such as the way they dress, their voice, name, preferred pronoun.
Gender originates from the mind. Where once defined as only male or female, now it has come to encompass a vast array of genders. Some popularly used terms are:
- Cisgender — When one identifies with the same sex or gender as assigned at birth.
- Transgender — Those who identify as a different gender than what was assigned at birth.
- Agender — One who does not identify with the concept and expression of gender.
- Genderfluid — Expression of gender identity that changes over time, from moment to moment, day to day, year to year and so on
- Genderqueer — Non-binary gender identity that cannot be identified as male or female, masculine or feminine. They express their gender in several ways that do not conform to the norm.
- Androgyne — Someone whose gender identity is gender neutral, a mix of both male and female.
The progression of gender has been so radical that Facebook now offers as many as 58 genders to choose from to define yourself. This reflects that many more exist than the two boxes of man and woman we are generally assigned from birth. Or, perhaps none really exist, people really are all just unique and different.
We live in the 21st century. It is time we open our minds. It is an age of acceptance, of yourself and others. The time to hide our differences has ended. It is now the era of embracing our differences.
Written by — Anushka Gupta
Edited by — Malini Srikrishna
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