The Sex and Gender Debate

The two terms, sex and gender, are often conflated together by people and are even used interchangeably which has generated misconceptions around the term. People don't realize the difference between sex and gender. So what causes this confusion?

For generations, it has been assumed that sex and gender mean the same thing. It was passed on that being born either a male or a female and possessing either masculine or feminine traits went hand in hand and were equally biological. They believed that there is a pre-packed set of characteristics that belong to men and women. For example, men are expected to strong, assertive, dominant with rough and chiseled features- which is considered “masculine”, while women are expected to be docile, submissive, soft-spoken, and give greater care to appearance; explain physical standards allocated to women. If you look closely, it is also coherent with stereotypes such as blue is for boys and pink is for girls.

There was little intersection between the two binaries and there is barely understanding beyond this, which means that individuals who identify outside this binary, often are left without much representation. You could either be a man (and be masculine, and definitely not feminine) or be a woman (and be feminine, and definitely not masculine). 

It was the second wave feminism that drew and highlighted the distinction between sex and gender. And the point of making this distinction is to create an understanding of the difference between the two, how they are inherently different in concept and thus should not be conflated together, and neither should they impose restrictive standards on individuals. So what exactly is the difference? To state it simply, sex is a genotype, gender is an identity. Let’s probe further into the definitions to explore the debate.

Sex is a label assigned at birth which is primarily associated with biological, physiological features and external bodily organs. It is generally categorized as female, male and intersex but there is a variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed.

Gender, on the other hand, goes beyond one’s reproductive organs. It is a social construct and it includes how individuals see themselves (gender identity), how others perceive them and expect them to behave (gender norms), and the interactions (gender relations) that they have with others. In the layman language, gender tells how a man should be masculine and a woman feminine and emphasizes the societal understanding of gender binary. 

Now that we understand that sex and gender are different terms and that we must not confuse the two, the problem doesn’t end here.

A very prominent issue with these concepts is related to sex. More often than one realizes, the sex assigned to a person at the time of the birth according to their genitalia may not be the same as one might associate themselves with. This means that while one may have the body of a certain sex, one may not want to identify themselves with that sex. 

The other problem comes with gender. Masculinity and femininity are viewed in binary and strictly sex-oriented. But neither is true. The traits of masculinity and femininity are in a spectrum. And since gender is not sex-oriented, a person may stand anywhere on the spectrum. This being said, a man can/may stand on the feminine extreme and vice versa. In continuation, historically, this was not treated well. Men showing even the slightest feminine qualities or a woman expressing masculine qualities were highly looked down upon

If you come to look at it, the entire classification of traits as either masculine or feminine is extremely problematic. From the very birth, children are raised differently on the basis of their sex which then translates into different growth patterns. This is exactly what happens while there are different uniforms and restrictions for children in school- pants for boys mainly and skirts for girls, toys given to them- cooking sets for girls and racing cars for boys. On top of this, as the society has been patriarchal for centuries, the feminine qualities that depict emotions or vulnerability are looked down upon. So a man crying in public is mocked at for crying ‘like girls’ (which further pushes the narrative of toxic masculinity and further limits men’s emotional capacities). And women possessing courage and bravery are called ‘manly’ because being brave is a ‘man’s forte’ and to act brave, a woman must act manly. A woman is pushed into adopting an “aggressive” or manly/dominant stance in workplaces to be taken seriously or be considered an equal in a room full of men in higher positions.

The restricting notions of sex and gender have done more damage than good. The pressure on people to be either feminine or masculine has been extremely exhausting and unnecessary. And the truth is that these gender biases, roles, and norms are the instruments of patriarchy to oppress women and the other men as well as non-binary people. It is also necessary to mention how these notions oppress men as much as they oppress women. Therefore gender is not an either/or scenario. It’s a spectrum. The concept of gender is nothing biological, or even remotely scientific. Gender is a social construct that is socially, culturally, and personally defined.

Non-binary and non-conforming individuals are not accommodated within the societal understanding of this spectrum of masculine and feminine. That being said, it is important to state that there is a spectrum that goes beyond the binary. An individual can express the qualities of a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’ in various degrees. One may express some qualities of a man and others of a woman or even different from both. These qualities, as discussed before, can be physiological, social, and emotional.

So after all this, the new norm that needs to be pushed and supported is that of acceptance and inclusivity. Which celebrates and validates individuals are unique and beautiful as they are. Every individual is very much real and is worthy of love, respect, dignity, and acceptance regardless of their sexual identity and orientation they associate with, no matter where they stand on the gender spectrum. 

The only roles we should follow are the roles that we want to follow. No one must be bound to be stereotyped for associating with particular sex or gender. Of course, with a more open and accepting environment, it is definitely possible for the world to dismantle this weapon of gender to the egregious system of patriarchy. And we, collectively, shall strive towards it enthusiastically.