Mental gender - what is it, gender formation

It may seem that we have one gender - female, male. This simple division is not so obvious when you consider that researchers distinguish as many as ten sexes!

Each of us has: chromosomal (genotypic) sex, gonadal sex, intragenital sex, external genital sex, phenotypic, hormonal, metabolic, social, brain and psychological sex.

1. Mental gender - what is it?

Mental sex, gender, is shaped by society and culture gender identity. According to the World Health Organization, these are the roles, behaviors, actions and attributes created by society that this society considers appropriate for men and women. Colloquially, the terms "masculinity" and "femininity" are used to describe observable gender-related properties and behaviors in accordance with prevailing stereotypes. Everyone in childhood learns the definitions of femininity and masculinity in a given society - how a woman or a man should look like, what profession to choose, etc. yourself and the world.

2. Mental gender - gender development

The cry "it's a girl" or "it's a boy" at the birth of a child can be taken as the beginning of the impact of the environment. From this moment on, the child is brought up in accordance with the standards of masculinity and femininity accepted in the environment. Girls will be dressed in pink, boys in blue. However, the newborn is not psychosexually neutral, the influences of the immediate environment that identify the newborn as a person belonging to the same sex are not decisive. The boundaries of identification are set by nature.

Sex Awareness Circuits they begin to form shortly after birth, based, among other things, on observations. While everyone creates ideas about what it means to be a man or a woman for their own use, these models are greatly influenced by the social environment. Even through the games we offer children, we teach them certain roles and relationships. By playing with dolls at home, the girls learn that their role is first and foremost to take care of others. For boys, games related to space exploration or problem solving (games of war, disassembly of small objects or devices) are allotted. They are supposed to be about 5 years old. gender identity it essentially has a form. If earlier, at the intrauterine stage, there were any disturbances in the process of sexual differentiation, then during this critical period they intensify or weaken. Around the age of 5, children enter a stage called "developmental sexism", which manifests itself in playing only with children of the same sex, choosing toys, games assigned to this gender. The differentiation of male and female gender identity, as well as the adoption of roles, progressing in the process of education, should gradually deepen in adolescence, up to the age of maturity. They are associated with groups of traits and repertoires of behavior attributed to men or women. A real man should be independent, not very emotional, firm, strong, domineering. Traits associated with femininity in our culture are affection, caring, obedience, self-sacrifice, helpfulness, and caring. The girl is expected to follow this model. There are characteristics that are more common in men or women, but there is no psychological trait that can be attributed exclusively to one sex.

It is also impossible to determine with scientific precision what is "typically male" or "typically female". Maybe we should not limit self-expression only to “male” or “female”? Stereotypes are always a simplification, including gender, sometimes stubbornly following the template brings a lot of suffering. Women are not a homogeneous group, like men, each is individual and has the right to his own path. Many women will not agree with the statement that the only meaning of their lives is to take care of others. They also do not see themselves as too weak, passive, or good to be in leadership positions, enter politics, or decide their own lives.

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Article reviewed by an expert:

Monsignor Anna Golan

Psychologist, clinical sexologist.