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Sex refers to the biological traits that categorize individuals as male, female, or intersex.
Gender refers to the social roles, behaviors, and expectations that a society assigns to individuals based on their perceived sex.
Sex assigned at birth refers to the designation of a person as male or female (or, in rare cases, intersex) at birth, based on physical characteristics such as external genitalia, chromosomes, and reproductive anatomy.
Intersex is a term used to describe individuals who are born with natural variations in sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.
Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender refers to a person whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Gender roles are the societally defined behaviors, characteristics, and expectations associated with being male, female, or another gender identity.
Gender dysphoria is the psychological distress that occurs when a person’s gender identity (their internal sense of being male, female, or another gender) does not align with their sex assigned at birth.
Gender expression refers to the external ways a person presents their gender to the world, including clothing, hairstyle, mannerisms, voice, and behavior.
Gender policing occurs when individuals face discrimination, bullying, or violence if they do not conform to expectations.
Doing gender is a sociological concept that explains how gender is not something we inherently are but something we actively perform in everyday life.
Biological determinism argues that a person’s genetics and biological characteristics directly determine gender roles and behaviors.
The social construction of gender perspective argues that gender is shaped more by social expectations and cultural norms rather than by biology.
The functionalist perspective views gender roles as essential for maintaining social stability and efficiency.
Conflict theory examines gender and sexuality through the lens of power, inequality, and competition.
Feminist theory, a branch of conflict theory, explores how gender inequality intersects with other forms of oppression, such as race, class, and sexuality.
Symbolic interactionism focuses on how individuals create, negotiate, and reinforce gender and sexuality through everyday social interactions.
Queer Theory rejects binary thinking—such as male/female or heterosexual/homosexual—and instead emphasizes the fluidity and diversity of gender and sexual identities.
Sexual orientation refers to a person’s emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction to others.
The term queer is an umbrella term used to describe sexual and gender identities that do not fit within traditional categories like heterosexual or cisgender.
The term fluid (as in sexual fluidity or gender fluidity) refers to an identity that can shift over time rather than being fixed or static.
Sexuality refers to a person’s desires, behaviors, and experiences related to intimacy and attraction.
Sexism refers to prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination based on a person’s sex or gender.
Heterosexism is the belief or system of attitudes that assumes heterosexuality is the norm and superior to other sexual orientations.
Misogyny is hatred, contempt, or discrimination against women, which manifests through social norms, cultural practices, institutional policies, and interpersonal behaviors.
Sex education plays a crucial role in shaping young people’s understanding of sexual health, relationships, and societal norms.
One approach to sex education is comprehensive sex education (CSE), which provides age-appropriate, medically accurate information about human sexuality.
Abstinence-only sex education (AOE) promotes the idea that refraining from sexual activity until marriage is the best way to avoid pregnancy, STIs, and emotional harm.
