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* Gender is commonly used as a synonym for '']'', refering to males and females classified according to genetic differences and distinct primary and secondary sex characteristics. This usage is considered incorrect by some. * Gender is commonly used as a synonym for '']'', refering to males and females classified according to genetic differences and distinct primary and secondary sex characteristics. This usage is considered incorrect by some.

* Gender identity is a distinctive construct in man. The terms "sex" and "gender" may in fact correlate, as would be the case when a person who has XY sex chromosomes and therefore is biologically male identifies himself as a man. However, this is not always the case thus demonstrating that "gender identity" as a distinct construct does operate independent and therefore would not be synonymous to a person's physical sex. Among the human specie, physical sex characteristics alone, whether primary or secondary, do not determine a person's "gender identity".


* Social scientists use ''gender'' to refer to a particular social identity, social status, and cluster of roles, that are often (but not exclusively) assigned on the basis of sex. This is discussed on the article on ]s. * Social scientists use ''gender'' to refer to a particular social identity, social status, and cluster of roles, that are often (but not exclusively) assigned on the basis of sex. This is discussed on the article on ]s.

Revision as of 18:46, 20 February 2003


The word gender is derived from the Old French word genre, meaning "kind of thing". It has several meanings in modern usage:

  • Gender is commonly used as a synonym for sex, refering to males and females classified according to genetic differences and distinct primary and secondary sex characteristics. This usage is considered incorrect by some.
  • Gender identity is a distinctive construct in man. The terms "sex" and "gender" may in fact correlate, as would be the case when a person who has XY sex chromosomes and therefore is biologically male identifies himself as a man. However, this is not always the case thus demonstrating that "gender identity" as a distinct construct does operate independent and therefore would not be synonymous to a person's physical sex. Among the human specie, physical sex characteristics alone, whether primary or secondary, do not determine a person's "gender identity".
  • Social scientists use gender to refer to a particular social identity, social status, and cluster of roles, that are often (but not exclusively) assigned on the basis of sex. This is discussed on the article on gender roles.
  • Situations sometimes arise where gender may be mimicked by inanimate objects, notably in cable connectors that have "male" and "female" counterparts. For an example in this context see gender changer.

This is a disambiguation page; that is, one that just points to other pages that might otherwise have the same name. If you followed a link here, you might want to go back and fix that link to point to the appropriate specific page. Sometimes a link to both sex and will be appropriate.