Gender and Society

Gender identity (or core gender identity) is a person's own sense of identification as male or female. The term is intended to distinguish this psychological association, from physiological and sociological aspects of gender. Gender identity is how one personally identifies his or her gender regardless of their sex characteristics. It does not have to be either man or woman, but can be a combination of feminine, masculine and androgynous feelings. Gender identity was originally a medical term used to explain sex reassignment surgery to the public.[1] The term is also found in psychology, often as core gender identity.[2] Sociology, gender studies and feminism are still inclined to refer to gender identity, gender role and erotic preference under the catch-all term gender.[citation needed]

Some workers in the field have suggested that gender identity is affected by "genetic, prenatal hormonal, postnatal social, and postpubertal hormonal determinants."[3] Biological factors include the influence of testosterone and gene regulation in brain cells. Social factors are primarily based on the family, as gender identity is thought to be formed by the third year of life.[2] However, it is now thought that the innate gender identity, although powerfully influenced by the sex of the genitalia and the gender of rearing, is not determined by these factors. There is evidence[4] that sex differentiation of the brain may be inconsistent with other sex characteristics, resulting in individuals dressing and/or behaving in a way which is perceived by others as being outside cultural gender norms; these gender expressions may be described as gender variant.

Self concept or self identity may be informed by how a person understands how others perceive them. Gender Identity does not refer to the placing of a person into one of the categories male or female; but without including the concept of interaction with society at large the term has no meaning. We are social beings. People who identify as Transsexual may strongly desire that other people consider them to belong to a gender opposite to that of their karyotype; but often are simply trying to modify their bodies and behaviors to match how they feel inside, which may not have anything to do with being either male, female, a man, or a woman.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (302.85) has five criteria that must be met before a diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID) can be made. "In gender identity disorder, there is discordance between the natal sex of one's external genitalia and the brain coding of one's gender as masculine or feminine."[1]