Gender is determined socially and based on a social trait, or cultural delineates as feminine or masculine, while Sex is biological physiognomies: chromosomes, internal and external organs, and hormonal profile. Gender and Sexuality are one of the most discussed topics these days.
Even though many people use the two terms (Gender and Sexuality) interchangeably, they have no reason to do so; they do not consider transgender and intersex individuals or individuals who have different sex congruent to their gender. Essentially, sex is a biological and physical trait of a man or a woman. For instance their genitals, hormones, and chromosomes. Gender defines the social and physical characteristics of a male or a female. For instance, how does a person behave and what constitutes his mind? Sex defines the physical body and chemistry genes, while gender defines the mind and how males and females present themselves.
Congruently, many people think that males are born as males, they know they are males and behave in accordance with society, or females are born females and know they are females and behave in accordance with the society they live in.
Not everyone’s gender corresponds to their sex, as it is in intersex, individuals with both sex’s genitals and chromosome variations. Transgender individuals are born as males or as females, their gender, however, can be opposite from their sex. Hence, a male can have a female gender and vice versa. Simply, sex is different from gender.
Possibly, individual sex can be changed to a limited degree. For instance, a male born with female gender may have male chromosomes, XY. This scenario cannot be changed, but they can change their bodies. Even though the two terms are used interchangeably, they are different; a person may have a different gender from their birth sex (“Sex vs. Gender & Sexual Orientation vs. Gender Identity | Autumn Asphodel,” 2018).
References
Sex vs. Gender & Sexual Orientation vs. Gender Identity | Autumn Asphodel. (2018). Autumn Asphodel. Retrieved 25 February 2018, from https://autumnasphodel.com/289/sex-vs-gender
