Question

Is there a difference between the sex and gender of a child? If so, what determines the sex and what determines the gender? If there is no difference, elaborate on what would be (could be) influential?

Answer 1

• There is a difference between sex and gender.Sex is biological which a child is born with whereas Gender is a socially constructed concept.
• Sex is determined by the anatomical parts of the child,whether they are male or female.Chromosomes determine the sex of the child at the time of fertilization.Males have XY chromosome whereas females have XX chromosomes.This determines the reproductive system of the child and other secondary sex characteristics which creates differences between a boy and a girl.This cannot be changed,as we all are naturally born with.
• Gender on the other hand is constructed by the society,which categorizes males and females based on the roles they need to play.Since ages,males have been considered to play the role of the head of the family and be the breadwinners,whereas females have been considered to play the roles of home makers and nurturers.
• A child is not born with a gender,but is assigned by the society based on their sex.So,if a child is born male he has to be strong and protect his family,whereas if a child is born female,she has to be sensitive and take care of the house and bear children.
• Such gender roles are imposed by the society,which has lead to gender stereotypes based on our sex,leading to males being the superior gender and females being the infrior gender.
• Gender is not just restricted to being males or females,but their are transgenders,bi-genders etc. which exist as well.Gender identity is deterimined by how a person feels wants to express themselves by identifying with a specific gender.So a child who is born male,could eventually identify with feminine gender and vice versa.