Is gender identity physical or mental?
The nature versus nurture debate is about whether a person’s development is pre-determined by their DNA or if it’s shaped by our life experiences. As of now, it is known that both sides play important roles, but the question still lingers, who has the upper-hand? To delve a bit deeper into this broad topic, let’s first explore gender identity.
People tend to use the terms “sex” and “gender” interchangeably. For a newborn, gender is presumed based off of their assigned sex. This may pose some problems in the future as the child becomes more self-aware and begins to question their own gender identity. The appropriate definition of ‘gender’ is the the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones). So, the term ‘gender identity’ is a person’s self conception of whether they identify as being a male or female despite their physical makeup.
The most common gender identities are boy or girl, the idea of only two genders existing is called the “gender binary”. However, gender is a spectrum and cannot be confined to just two possibilities. A child may have a non-binary gender identity, meaning they could consider themselves to be both genders, none or as another gender entirely. Naming our gender is complex and vague, it requires time for a person to truly discover how they feel. Unfortunately, for many, this can be quite a challenge due to cultural norms and expectations.
Family, culture, peers, schools, media and religion are all examples of how gender is severely influenced by society. Most people’s expression of their gender identity are swayed because of the constant pressure to fit neatly in line with the binary gender system. For example, if a boy decided to wear a skirt, society would label them as less of a man due to the stereotypical interpretation of a man. The way someone acts, talks or expresses themselves is frequently misinterpreted for their gender identity. From my perspective, the binary gender system is flawed because cultural norms are changing over time and new expectations are emerging, sometimes being the complete opposite of what they were a decade ago. For instance, prior to the mid-twentieth century, blue was typically associated with girls’ clothing and pink with boys’ clothing.
Gender diversity has existed throughout history and all over the world. Gender is one of the fundamental aspects of a person’s identity, it affects every part of one’s life. So, is gender identity physical or mental? Even though we are physically born a certain way, some individuals identify themselves based on their mental feelings rather than their assigned sex at birth. Nowadays, those who don’t fall into line with the rigid binary gender system are susceptible to become targets of disapproval.
