Beyond Binaries

Gender is a complex and sometimes confusing concept and can be understood in different ways. There is the gender equivalent to sex, gender as separate from sex and gender as the assignment of meaning to bodies. In order to understand the difference, we'll explain it briefly.

Within this concept there is no distinction between gender and sex, which is based on biology and physiological characteristics. This perspective assumes that there are two biological sexes (female and male) and thus two genders (feminine and masculine). Which means that your gender is only determined by your physiology of your body and is separate from culture, social and historical influences.

When you look at gender separate from sex, you can distinguish sex as your body (including your physical attributes, hormonal characteristics and reproductive functioning) and your gender as the behaviours and personal traits you acquire as a result of socialisation. Which means that you are assigned your sex and you can develop your gender through interacting with your environment.

This view considers gender to be socially constructed and to include what, in the two former perspectives, is called sex. Socially constructed gender means that the system of categorising your anatomy and designating you as either female or male is not biologically determined. Rather, the naming of our body as one type or another is only possible and made meaningful due to culture.

Gender equivalent to sex

Gender separate from sex

Gender as the assignment of meaning to bodies