Page 26 - (DK) Help Your Kids with Growing Up: A No-Nonsense Guide to Puberty and Adolescence

24 GR O WING UP

Gender SEE ALSO
‹
‹ 16–17 Identity
22–23 Self-expression
Many people think of gender as being female or male, and it’s often Body image 72–73 ›
thought to mean the same thing as biological sex (the hormones, Confidence and self-esteem 86–87 ›
sex organs, and genes a person has). In fact, it is much more
complicated – a person’s gender is determined by more than simply
the anatomy they were born with.

Explaining gender

Gender is a concept that works on two levels. On an individual level, it refers to a
combination of a person’s biological sex, their sense of who they are, and the choices ▽ What is gender?
they make about their behaviour and appearance. But on a social level, gender is a Gender is based on biological sex,
subject that explores the traditional expectations a society has about how people gender identity, and gender expression.
should look and act.

Biological sex Gender identity Gender expression
This refers to the physical This is whether individuals personally This is the way in which individuals
characteristics with which think, feel, and see themselves as a present themselves to society,
a person is born. Some people are man, woman, or other gender. No through their appearance and
born male, others female. Some one else can tell someone what their behaviour. Gender expression may or
are intersex, which means that their gender identity is. may not match a person’s gender
biology has identity. It may
both male also change
and female depending on
characteristics. who they
are with.

A spectrum of genders
Rather than just recognizing female Transgender
and male, gender can be thought of as Someone whose
a wide spectrum of identities. There are gender identity differs from
many ways for a person to describe what society expects given
how they identify their gender. their sex at birth, such as
they identify as a woman,
Cisgender but were born male. Agender
When a person’s This term describes
gender identity matches someone who feels they
what their culture expects don’t belong to either gender;
of them given their they don’t feel like either a
biological sex. woman or a man.
▷ Diversity
There are an enormous range of
gender identities. This list does
not include all of them.

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