| |
For other uses, see Gender (disambiguation).
Gender symbols: female (left), male (right). From symbols for Venus and Mars.
Gender commonly refers to the set of characteristics that humans perceive as distinguishing between male and female entities, extending from one's biological sex to, in humans, one's social role or gender identity. As a term, "gender" has more than one valid definition. Colloquially, it is used interchangeably with "sex" to denote the condition of being male or female in any type of entity. In the social sciences, however, it refers specifically to social differences such as gender identity.[1] The World Health Organization (WHO), for example, uses "gender" to refer to "the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women".[2] "Gender" has also been equated with "sexual orientation" and "identity" (especially LGBT sexuality).[citation needed] People whose gender identity feels incongruent with maleness or femaleness may refer to themselves as "intergender". |
|
|
