Gender Identity

In the previous posts, we looked at how to define sex according to biological principles—that is, the conditions that allow us to classify an individual's sex as female, male, or intersex.
Gender, on the other hand, relates to an individual's experience of themselves—how they perceive themselves as female, male, or non-binary (neither female nor male)—and how they want to be recognized in the society they live in.
It’s a complex and controversial topic, so let’s approach it step by step.

Let’s take a step back. The biological indicators we’ve talked about have social consequences. Based on these indicators, a gender is assigned at birth (this also carries legal value).
Over time, society has also associated certain physical traits (somatic) and behaviors with each gender. These expectations are not scientifically based—they come from social experience. For example, society expects different hairstyles depending on one's gender (this is an example of gender stereotypes).

Now we come to the critical point:
What happens if the gender assigned at birth does not match the individual's felt gender identity?

The individual may experience this misalignment positively or negatively, and this can also depend on the society they live in:

• Does the person live in a society that is strongly rooted in gender stereotypes?
• Or in a society that is welcoming and accepting of how they define their own gender?

These are very different scenarios.
Let’s remember: Gender identity is also a social identity, which means the kind of society one lives in greatly affects how a person experiences their gender.

To conclude, here are three definitions you may have heard but may not be entirely clear:

• Cisgender: When the gender assigned at birth matches a person’s gender identity.
• Transgender: When there is a mismatch between the gender assigned at birth and the person’s gender identity.
• Transsexual: When a person undergoes sexual reassignment surgery, transitioning from female to male or from male to female.

Sources:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013) – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.)
• Bernhill, J. W. (2014) – DSM-5 Clinical Cases

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