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Gender vs Sex ... What's The Difference
- Thread starter McBell
- Start date
I like this explanation:
In general terms, "sex" refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and genetic differences.
"Gender" is more difficult to define, but it can refer to the role of a male or female in society, known as a gender role, or an individual's concept of themselves, or gender identity.
Sometimes, a person's genetically assigned sex does not line up with their gender identity. These individuals might refer to themselves as transgender, non-binary, or gender-nonconforming.
Sex and gender: Meanings, definition, identity, and expression
In general terms, "sex" refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and genetic differences.
"Gender" is more difficult to define, but it can refer to the role of a male or female in society, known as a gender role, or an individual's concept of themselves, or gender identity.
Sometimes, a person's genetically assigned sex does not line up with their gender identity. These individuals might refer to themselves as transgender, non-binary, or gender-nonconforming.
Sex and gender: Meanings, definition, identity, and expression
ImmortalFlame
Woke gremlin
There's also gender expression, sexuality and gender identity, all of which are their own separate things (though there is often crossover and connections between them).
exchemist
Veteran Member
Yes, "gender" is one of those mealy-mouthed words whose meaning has expanded, now that "sex" has come to be used so much for sexual acts and is thus felt by some to be embarrassing to use in all its original senses. Almost all the usages of "gender" in your definition would have been described as "sex" half a century ago. Gender used to be a term used mainly in language.
Sex is physical, gender is mental/perceptual
What do you mean by "sex?"
- genetic sex
- chromosomal sex
- hormonal sex
- genitalia
- secondary sex characteristics
.... since none of these things necessarily correspond with each other.
PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
You're missing out.
Gender is a Jungian Persona expression--with the contra-gender reflection in the Anima/Animus. (The Persona is the face that is presented to the outer world, the Anima/Animus is what is hidden from presentation to the outer world, and becomes the face that is presented to inner world of the unconscious mind.)
Gender is mental, psychological, and social. Sex is biological.
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McBell
mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
WHAT?!
You mean to say it is even MORE complicated than just "sex" and "gender"?
McBell
mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
Ok.
Some background as to why I asked....
I got into discussion about how there is a movement to be able to choose ones "gender" on their drivers license.
I said go for it.
When asked why, I stated that "gender" is not on the driver license, "sex" is.
Now I guess I am a genderphobic *** hole.
Whatever that is.
Some background as to why I asked....
I got into discussion about how there is a movement to be able to choose ones "gender" on their drivers license.
I said go for it.
When asked why, I stated that "gender" is not on the driver license, "sex" is.
Now I guess I am a genderphobic *** hole.
Whatever that is.
Yeah, it looks like the next scheduled show down in this hub-bub is binary vs non-binary. Since the non-binary seem to be the ones who are more marginalized (even by the binary with gender dysphoria,) I'll probably lend my support to the non-binary camp.WHAT?!
You mean to say it is even MORE complicated than just "sex" and "gender"?
Cooky
Veteran Member
I remember when sex meant intercourse. Now it's too complicated, and I start going into ADD mode when someone tries explaining it in detail.
...I guess in the end, it's just frustrating when instead of creating new words, people choose to hijack very common ones for some reason.
Isn’t that just how slang and evolution of language works though?
McBell
mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
Seems to me it would be MUCH easier if new words were brought about instead of hijacking old ones.
for example
For the vast majority of my life this was called the pound sign "#".
now it is called a hash tag.
So for me, and I have found for a lot of us old people, #metoo read as "pound me too", not "hashtag me too".
McBell
mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
I think of non-binary as the exact opposite of hermaphrodite.
But i bet that that is not what is meant.
Gender's a linguistics term for a type of noun class. People are not a nouns. People don't have genders.
Some languages have animate-inanimate genders. Some high, middle or low status genders. Some have natural-artificial genders. In French gender seems related to word endings. The varieties are endless. The point is, gender is not synonymous with sex.
In English the gender of a noun corresponds to the biological sex of its referent. This very unusual feature makes it easy to substitute gender for sex in actual people.
Back in the uptight, repressed '50s, when we meant sex we said sex. Employment or enrollment applications would ask your sex, not your gender.
Apparently the sexual revolution never penetrated the language; in fact, we seem to have become even more repressed. We've replaces "sex" with a euphemism. Why do we find the term "sex" so offensive?
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I think Gender is something very spiritual...related to our soul. Male soul, female soul.
Sex is something more visual: for example, I a MtF person I identify as heterosexual woman, and I underwent genital surgery because I want to be penetrated by a man.
Sex is something more visual: for example, I a MtF person I identify as heterosexual woman, and I underwent genital surgery because I want to be penetrated by a man.
It's anyone who breaks the binary gender rules.
LOL -- I remember when "intercourse" meant "talk," or "friendly communications." The word originally had nothing to do with coitus, but, apparently, people were so uncomfortable with anything sexual that they coined euphemisms like "sexual congress," sexual relations" and "sexual intercourse".
"Congress," "relations," and "intercourse" have nothing to do with sex. But:
Somewhere along the line, linguistically lazy people began dropping the "sexual" from intercourse, but the connection remained. People began using intercourse to mean the sexual act itself, pretty much eliminating the original definition of the word and making the town of Intercourse, Pennsylvania a laughing stock.