Gender Identity in

Everyday Life
 

Brief
Gender identity is one’s sense of one’s own gender. It is
the result of socialization, but it also has a biological basis.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Discuss the difference between biological and social

construction of gender identity
KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Gender identity is typically perceived as binary –

individuals are expected to exclusively identify either as
male or female, and to have a gender identity that aligns
with the sex they were assigned at birth. However, some
individuals have gender identities that do not align with
their assigned sex.
 Individuals whose gender identity aligns with their
assigned sex are said to be cisgender. Transgender
individuals are those whose gender identity does not align
with their assigned sex.
 Gender identity discourse derives from medical,
social, and psychological conceptions of gender. There is
 vigorous debate over biological versus environmental
causes of the development of one’s gender identity.
 As gender identity disputes gain more social attention,
new legal frontiers are opening on the basis that a
male/female gender binary, as written into the law,
discriminates against individuals whose existence is not
acknowledged by the binary construct of gender.
 Cultural variations in notions of gender indicate the
socially constructed nature of gender identity.
KEY TERMS

 Gender Binary – a view of gender whereby people

are categorized exclusively as either male or female, often
basing gender on their external genitalia.
 Transgender – not identifying with culturally
conventional gender roles and categories of male or
female; having a gender identity that does not align with
one’s assigned sex; having a gender identity that aligns
with elements of both male and female, with neither male
nor female elements, or having some other gender
identity.
 Cisgender – identifying with or experiencing a gender
the same as one’s assigned sex, or that is affirmed by
society, e.g. being both male-gendered and male-
assigned.

Full Text
Gender identity is one’s sense of being masculine,
feminine, a combination of both, or neither. Gender
identity is typically seen as a binary – individuals are
expected to exclusively identify either as male or female.
However, some individuals have a gender identity that
does not fit the binary construction of gender. These
individuals might have gender identities that are a third
gender or a mix of masculine and feminine genders, or
their gender identity may be that they have no gender at
all. Gender identity is socially constructed, yet it still
pertains to one’s sense of self. Gender identity is not only
about how one perceives one’s own gender, but also
about how one presents one’s gender to the public,
because one’s gender identity helps individuals determine
their gender expression.

Cisgender and Transgender

Individuals whose gender identity aligns with the gender
they were assigned at birth are said to be cisgender.
Transgender individuals are those whose gender identity
does not align with their assigned gender. (Gender
assigned at birth is assigned based on the infant’s external
genitalia, which is an incomplete measurement of a
person’s sex since it does not include internal organs,
chromosomal structures, or hormonal interactions, all of
which influence a person’s sex.) Some transgender people
require surgeries (called gender reassignment surgery)
and hormone therapies in order to better match their
gender identity to their socially perceived sex because, as
humans are basically social animals, social acceptance is
extremely important to our health. However, not all
transgender people require physical changes to their
bodies. Some might not need to undergo any changes at
all, or they might need only some changes (such as
undergoing hormone therapy, but not gender
reassignment surgery). Recently, there has been growing
recognition of people who are genderqueer. These are
individuals whose gender identity does not match their
assigned gender because their gender identity simply
does not fit within the current social construction of gender
at all. Their gender might be changeable, not static (this is
called being genderfluid), or it is a third gender which is
neither masculine or feminine, or they are both masculine
and feminine, or they have no gender at all (this is called
being agender).

Causes of Differences between Gender Identity and

Assigned Gender
What causes individuals to sense a difference between
their socially assigned gender and their gender identity?
This question is hotly contested, with no clear answer.
Some things, though, are certain: genetic regulation,
hormone activity, and socialization all play roles in a
person’s gender identity and gender expression.
Biologically, gender is a function of sex, meaning that the
genetic regulation and hormone activities that determine
our sex also influence our gender identity. Scientists have
not yet determined the exact extent of that influence, but it
is agreed that gender is primarily a biological function.
Still, socialization does have a role in how a person
interacts with their own gender identity, which can
influence how they perceive and express their gender.
When an individual’s gender identity does not match their
socially assigned gender, the socialization they receive will
often indicate to the individual that there is something
‘wrong’ with their gender, which can impact their ability to
understand and express their gender identity in socially
accepted ways.

Gender Identities and Law

As gender identity disputes gain more social attention,
new legal frontiers are opening on the basis that a
male/female gender binary, as written into the law,
discriminates against individuals whose gender identity is
not acknowledged as real by the binary construct of
gender. On college campuses, gender-restrictive dorm
housing if facing opposition by individuals whose gender
identity is neither ‘man’ nor ‘woman,’ but is genderqueer,
genderfluid, third gender, or agender. Many public spaces
and workplaces are instituting gender-neutral bathroom
facilities. Gender identity has become a piece of
international law as a branch of human rights doctrines.
The Yogyakarta Principles, drafted by international legal
scholars in 2006, provides a definition of gender identity in
its preamble. In the Principles, “gender identity” refers to
each person’s deeply felt internal and individual
experience of gender, which may or may not correspond
with the sex assigned at birth, including the person’s
sense of the body and other expressions of gender.
Gender Identities across Cultures
Gender identities, and the social constructs of gender
identity, vary across cultures. Though most cultures use a
variation of the gender-as-binary construct, the malleability
of that binary varies. In some Polynesian societies,
fa’afafine are considered to be a third gender alongside
male and female. Fa’afafine individuals are accepted as a
natural gender and typically experience less social
ostracism than transgender individuals in other cultures.
They are assigned male at birth based on the appearance
of their external genitalia, but their gender expression
(how they dress and behave) aligns with the social norms
Polynesians typically consider female. In the Indian
subcontinent, a hijra is usually considered to be neither
male nor female. The hijra are a third gender, although
they do not enjoy the same acceptance and respect as
cisgender individuals. These cultural variations in notions
of gender indicate the socially constructed nature of
gender identity.

Men in Montreal Dressed in Drag

The image above exemplifies the subjective and personal
understanding people have of their own gender identities.