Sex-Gender Distinction

Source- Unsplash By-Tim Mossholder

“If the immutable character of sex is contested, perhaps this construct called ‘Sex’ is as culturally constructed as gender; indeed, perhaps it was always already gender, with the consequence that the distinction between sex and gender turns out to be no distinction at all.” - Judith Butler.

The distinction between the terms ‘Gender’ and ‘Sex’ and we know them to be, in the world as we see it and the world we read about in our history books has always been vague and a concept that attracted various debates and criticisms from more than people one can count, which I must add, is still an ongoing process. The definition defines ‘Sex’ as a biological factor that differentiates a human based on an individual’s reproductive system, and secondary sex characteristics. The definition ‘Gender’, however, defines gender to be an aspect that refers to social roles based on the sex of a person or personal identification of one’s own gender based on an internal awareness. These distinctions may seem to qualify the acceptance of the idea that they can be used interchangeably but can they really be substituted for each other, is the question that many people put their lives on stake for. Judith Butler introduced the concept of Gender Performativity in her 1990 book Gender Trouble. She argues that being born male or female does not determine behaviour. Instead, people learn to behave in particular ways to fit into the society.

She believes that gender is performed without one being conscious of it, but it in no way does it mean that this performativity is "automatic or mechanical". She argues that we have desires that do not originate from our personhood, but rather, from social norms. The notions of "human" and "less-than-human" is debated and how these culturally imposed ideas can keep one from having a viable life as the biggest concerns are usually about whether a person will be accepted if his or her desires differ from normality. One may feel the need of being recognised in order to live, but that at the same time, the conditions to be recognised make life unlivable. An interrogation of such conditions must be done so that people who resist them may have more possibilities of living a life they truly desire being a person they truly want to be.

However, transgender people experience a mismatch between their Gender identity or gender expression, and their assigned sex. Transgender people are sometimes called transsexual if they desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another. Transgender is also an umbrella term: in addition to including people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex , it may include people who are not exclusively masculine or feminine. The concept of gender is a socially constructed act which takes place during the routine human interactions, rather than based on assigned specific qualities based on one’s biological sex. It is, however, a crucial and an important step to differentiate sex, sex category, and gender. Sex, maybe, is the the definition achieved upon consensus of the society as the agreed upon specialisations that distinguish one a s male or female and that sex is generally based on an individual’s genitalia or their birth chromosomes. Whereas, sex categories are thought to be a dichotomous aspect where division of an individual who possesses qualities exclusive to one category is places in one sex category and the other in a different category. However, in some cases, a person’s sex may not align with their sex category. As West and Zimmerman state that sex category is “established and sustained by the socially required identifications displayed that proclaim one’s membership in one or the other category". And ‘Gender’ is nothing but presentation of qualities and actions that are considered socially acceptable for one’s sex category.

One factor amidst these varying terms is Gender Socialisation. Interpreting Beauvoir's claim that one is not born but rather becomes a woman is to take it as a claim about gender socialisation: females develop into women through a process whereby they gain feminine traits and learn feminine behaviour. Masculinity and femininity are thought to be products of how individuals are brought up. They are constructed as the social forces either have a causal role in bringing gendered individuals into existence or shape the way we are defined as women and men. And the process of this development is social learning. Gender differences have an essential cultural, rather than a biological base that results from different treatment. Gender is the summation of the culture's notions of what is appropriate to each gender by way of temper, character, interest, status, worth, gesture, and expression . Feminine and masculine gender-norms do not fit with and reinforce women's subordination so that women are socialised into subordinate social roles: they learn to be passive, ignorant, docile, emotional helpmeets for men- Millet. However, since these roles are simply learned, we can create more equal societies by ‘unlearning’ social roles. That is, feminists should aim to diminish the influence of socialisation. The process of learning and unlearning in the society can change the way people perceive these notions of gender and sex distinctions. However, the process of learning is embedded deep into the human existence but the process of unlearning is hard to teach and harder to practice and believe. These processes possibly can diminish and demolish the orthodox beliefs of the categorised human forms of sex and gender.

Different thinkers, societies, communities and sections of the world have come up with different views on the distinction between sex and gender distinction. I firmly believe that sex alone cannot be the defining factor of an individual’s life and neither can be gender. It is the collaboration of sex and gender that makes an individual whole. Sex alone cannot be an absolute defining factor because biological differences sometimes overlap with one person’s interactions with the world, thought process, personal beliefs and experienced encounters. A consensus should be brought among these distinct categories for the betterment of lives, individuals, societies, communities and of the world.

WRITTEN BY SHALLU JAGLAN