content warning: intersex & trans rights
Gender and sex can be really complicated concepts, so we're going to break them down! You may think they mean the same thing, or you may be using them incorrectly without knowing it. But don't worry! Let's go through some definitions.
Sex
Sex is the scientific label to describe what category you fit into based on a couple of different factors, most commonly your genitalia. Your sex is decided by the doctors present before and after your birth.
"Sex is a determination made through the application of socially agreed upon biological criteria for classifying persons as females or males. The criteria for classification can be genitalia at birth or chromosomal typing before birth, and they do not necessarily agree with one another." (West & Zimmerman, Doing Gender, p. 127)
Over the years, different scientists have changed their minds on what decides a baby's sex. The most obvious seemed to be genitalia, but the existence of intersex people caused issues for this binary "penis or vagina" split.
In most contemporary societies, sex exists within a binary: female or male. Many people have argued that this binary is inaccurate and harmful.
Gender
Gender identity is a social label used to say, "This is who I am and how I fit into society."
Even today, much of western culture does not always recognize a distinction between sex and gender. Many people use the two interchangeably. However, many people have come to view gender as a separate label from sex, but also equivalent to sex. That is, if your sex is male, your gender is boy/man. If your sex is female, your gender is girl/woman.
Similar to intersex people challenging the sex binary, there are many factors that invalidate the gender binary as well.
"Over the past several centuries, a binary model of sex as unequivocally male or female has remained an almost universal axiom, despite evidence from human and animal biology calling this distinction into question. Over time, the biological markers of male and female, yet not the notion of sex as binary and discreet." (Katrina Karkazis, Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority, and Lived Experience, p. 31)
Social Constructions
If something is "socially constructed," it just means that society has created that thing. It means that our language and our understanding of the world have led us to create definitions and inferences (that may not be whole or accurate). Basically, a social construct is a culturally shared or agreed upon way of interpreting reality.
Side note: If you're curious, Social Constructionism is an entire ideology and lens through which one can view and practice feminism.
The gender binary, for example, is socially constructed. It does not exist on its own without us creating a term and definition for it.
Genitalia exists on its own, but our labeling of a penis as "male" doesn't.
Behaviors exist on their own, but our stereotyping them as "womanly" or "manly" doesn't.
Once we understand sex and gender as socially constructed labels, we can loosen our societal chokehold on their binaries. Because let's face it, if you're really looking at the "science" behind it, they aren't true binaries. Trans people exist. Intersex people exist. Non-binary people exist. Cultures that recognize more than two sexes and two genders exist.
Many contemporary feminists see sex as something private and only necessary to discuss with relevant medical professionals. They see gender as a social interpretation of perceived difference and an identity to help us understand and signal to others our place within society. Newer gender identities like non-binary and neopronouns like xe/xem/xir help accomplish this for those who don't see their gender in a way that conforms with the binary.
Related terms & concepts...
Intersex
The medical term for people who are born with sex characteristics that do not match the binary sex identities of male or female. They can have a combination or absence of the internal and external sex characteristics that define sex. This is a newer term that has replaced "hermaphroditism," a term that is outdated and considered offensive.
Sex assigned at birth
This term refers to sex in a way that is more inclusive to both intersex and trans folks. Instead of thinking about sex as something inherent or concrete, "sex assigned at birth" recognizes that it is a label that was given to an individual at their birth by a doctor and/or their parents based on their judgment.
Other helpful resources for your learning...
"The Difference between Sex and Gender" with interviewee Finn Mackay, hosted by the Institute of Art and Ideas (video)
The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes by Diane Ehrensaft, PhD (book)
"'They Are Not Including Us. We Have to Stand Up': Miss Major on Why the Fight to End State Violence Must be Inclusive of the Black Trans Community" by Jaimee A. Swift with Black Women Radicals (article)
Citations
An article describing Social Constructionism
Fiaccadori, E. (2006). The question of 'nature': What has Social Constructionism to offer feminist theory? Goldsmiths Sociology Research Papers.
An excerpt from a textbook with more info on trans, intersex, and otherwise gender non-conforming folks
Kang, M., et al. (2017). Gender and sex - transgender and intersex, Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
Book uncovering the history and realities of intersex people
Article explaining why the sex binary isn't effective
Maitra, A. (2020, June 4). Why sex and gender are not as separate as it is understood today. Feminism in India.
A website uncovering past experiences of sex and gender identity through a historical lens
An older article understanding gender as something we do, perform, and engage with every day
Brief explanation of intersex
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