What’s the Difference Between Sex and Gender?

[nicole]

What’s the Difference Between Sex and Gender? Do you know if there is an exact difference between them?

[connemara_crocodile]

(please, remember that this is a place for opinions, and even solid facts can be interpreted in different ways. So please take my or any other opinion with respect)

Sex refers to the biological structure of an organism, such as chromosomes and the genitalia they develop among many other factors. In humans and most animals there's only 2, male and female.

Gender comes from a latin word associated with "type" or "sorting". They're a social construct. We can even talk about gender when we talk about plugs... you insert the (male) plug into the (female) socket.

Gender is highly defined by the sex of an animal. All throughout the animal kingdom males develop certain characteristics different from the females, which leads to these "social sorting" that goes beyond physical or biological characteristics.

Males animals or early humans tend to leave the family group to go hunting.
While females tend to stay care and protect their family. This differs in some animals, but the sex defining the gender is always present.

Nowadays, the advanced civilization we have today allows us to have a different gender than our sex. Men can work from home and spend as much time with the kids as women, women can work as much as men, etc.

However some differences still exist, for example in sport, since a man that considers himself a woman still has a physical advantage over, reason why sports are split by sex and not by gender.

[Potteplante]

They've actually discovered that hunter Vs gatherer thing. What most animals care about, is survival - that includes humans. Gender is a social construct that is dictated by the current paradigm. Which has changed throughout history and will continue to change. Which leads me to a question: Are you saying our gender is tied up with what we're able to do in society? I'm a woman, that I can work as much as a man - doesn't change that. Your ability to spend time with your kids or future kids does not effect your gender. Or at least that is my humble opinion.

[connemara_crocodile]

@Potteplante I don't know if I find funny or sad that you're so in need of an argument that you don't even bother to read what I wrote.

[Potteplante]

No, it's because I genuinely found your reply interesting and agree with a lot of it. I'm not trying to argue, I've no need for it, I'm trying to understand. I apologize if you feel like I disrespected you, I was just curious, have a nice day.

[connemara_crocodile]

Basically I didn't say anything of what you said. I'm saying that gender was originally influenced by sex like it happens with animals, but as we evolved as a society, sex doesn't determine our gender anymore and our gender is determined (or not determined) by our preferences. I do reckon tho there are still physical and biological limitations that are tied to our sex, so even tho we can choose our gender, we cannot choose our sex. Men still have an advantage in certain physical activities, women are still more involved in the very early days of a newborn, etc.

[TheSpaceGnome]

There isn't a difference. Illiterate people have come to think that there is, but outside of using the word sex as a verb instead of a noun, it is the same thing.

"Gen-der n., Gram. Any of two or more categories, as feminine, masculine, or neuter, into which words are devided and which determine agreement with or selection of modifiers or grammatical forms; the quality of being of the male or female sex."

Feminine and masculine by the way refer to genitalia, hence the mentioning of neuter. There is nothing feminine or masculine besides genitals when comparing different species, so refering to other traits as either is illogical.

[Robbey]

Male and female are biological terms (humans, monkeys, salmon, and puppies have a sex). Genders are the socially/culturally constructed identities, ideologies, etc. that have developed around sex (only humans have gender).

[Red-Blaze]

Short answer without entering the politcal part
Sex in thei matter is about the biological
Gender is about the langrage

[PositiveFlight]

There is no difference. A person cannot self reassign their gender.

[Guy13]

Sex is a biological construct defining Male verse Female. Gender is a social construct and is wholly subjective. Sex overrules gender as Sex is objective and standardized measurement, whereas, gender is wholly subjective the crazy pronouns and gut-to-girl transition exemplify

[PBandJ_Nerd]

Sex is what genitals you have (reproductive organs) and gender is what pronouns a person goes by.

[weysally]

good answer

[Tenebrae_mentis]

The dictionary would say that they are synonyms. However, modern interpretation has come to differentiate them as sex being biological and gender being a perception. Language evolves and whatnot.

[connemara_crocodile]

The dictionary doesn't put them as synonyms. At least not the official ones. I don't know which ones are you looking at.

[Tenebrae_mentis]

@connemara_crocodile The Oxford English Dictionary.

[connemara_crocodile]

What are you talking about?

www.oed.com/.../77468

[Tenebrae_mentis]

@connemara_crocodile This: 3. Thesaurus » a. gen. Males or females viewed as a group; = sex n.1 1. Also: the property or fact of belonging to one of these groups.

[connemara_crocodile]

That's not defining gender, that's defining the use of gender as a synonym of sex (which like it or not, it is used so it has to be present). Inside of 3a itself it redirects you to 3b for the use of it as a sociological term.

[TheSpaceGnome]

@connemara_crocodile "Gen-der n., Gram. Any of two or more categories, as feminine, masculine, or neuter, into which words are devided and which determine agreement with or selection of modifiers or grammatical forms; the quality of being of the male or female sex." Source: A physical copy of Webster's Dictionary - circa 1997 - Landoll, Inc. *Feminine, masculine, and neuter, are refering to types of genitalia. All scientific animal guide books use gender symbols to denote biological sex as well. The oxford dictionary, as well as every other dictionary, had this definition before mentally retarded people started influencing definitions (instead of just being called illiterate as per was the case beforehand), so yes, sex and gender are synonyms, so long as sex is the noun version instead of the verb version. And to this day, this is the case, regardless of edits to the online dictionaries by the lowbrow.

[OlderAndWiser]

The difference between sex and gender is best classified as science-fiction!

[RobT312]

your sex is biological, born with it. Gender is your identity, it is typically the same but you can also make it different….. a man wanting to identify as a woman, or someone saying they are asexual.

[Berethor]

Sex is what you born with, gender is more social, anyway for most people they are same.

[Sixgunsound]

One is real one is made up.

[Chazmatazz269]

Sex is the hardware and gender is the software. Also, not everything about gender is informed as the image indicates. Some traits we consider to be masculine or feminine are innate.

[samuluaa]

Sex and gender are synonyms. The difference is the spelling.

[Dargil]

Sex is defined by chromosomes. Gender is a language construct reflecting sex.

[Zbrody1997]

Sex is I suppose has to do with your sexual preference either your gay, lesbian pansexual or whatever they have out, gender is your gender identity EX: male, female, trans, nonbinary

[exitseven]

Gender is an adjective sex is an activity.

[worldscolide]

In this world there is male, and female.. And a spectrum of severe mental disorders.

[Kudos4U]

We went from "not all girls like pink" to "liking pink means you're prob a girl."

Personality is how you identify individuals, gender is how you distinguish between 2 biological lived experiences.

[HaveNoName]

I think there is no difference. "Gender" is just a more acceptable word when you expect to be answered M or F. Perhaps, sometimes, people are shy of using the word "sex". Trust me; such cultures exist.

Also:

When you ask "Sex?" on a form, you often end up seeing "O" in the answer.. or "C" . Then when you call them for interview and ask for clarification, they say "I meant... Occasional..." or C for Casual.

[TheSpaceGnome]

Gender is the quality of an organism's biological sex. It's a way to avoid confusing sex the noun with sex the verb, by replacing the noun version with gender, to serve the same definition. Though yes, the success of it's adoption might have been the result of prudish thoughts.

[kellytheman]

I think sex more personal or intimate in a non medical way and gender is just more simple and what male or female characteristics you have to know what you are if your a man or woman.

[NostalgiaSenpi]

If you research the etymology of the word gender you discover that the word gender, up until the 1970's in academia, and up until the 2010's in the general populace, had an identical meaning to sex.

[gorydetails]

Nothing.

[FireFox001]

There is no difference, for all intents and purposes. Anyone who says otherwise (or uses "I identifie as") has the same energy that "I pretend to be".