Sex or Gender? Which one do you use?

Sex is biological. It's what a doctor would need to know, to best treat you.

Gender is, well, folks will debate whether it's something you're born with, develop, or a little bit of this and that. It's how you identify.

At least that's my understanding of it, and how I use the two terms.

To give you a personal example:
My sex is male, but I identify as female. Ideally, I would like to transition, so that my body better matches my identity.

 

Sex: male.

Gender: I would give worlds to know.

 

I think you got it backwards. Sex is penis/vagina, testes/ovaries, XX/XY etc

Gender is your personal identity.

 

I've always thought sex was well, sex. Being intimate with someone, and gender was both what you were born as and how you identify.

 

Sex is the car, gender is the motor.

It's corny, but you know, it's the easiest way to drive the point home.




I'm terrible...

 

In portuguese "Sex" and "Gender" are translated as "Sexo", and, since it is similar to "Sex" that's what I use for both of the aspects. However I do think the previous posts on this topic explained it. May it remain here as a curiosity.

 

Don't open Pundora's Box. You won't like what you get, LOL.

^.~

 

Sex: Female

Gender: I HAVE NO GENDER, ONLY RAGE!!! (agender :3)

 

I usually use "gender" unless it's a clinical setting like a biology class, because the terms are essentially interchangeable for most people and in most settings. Plus, "gender" is "softer" and more "polite."

Here on EC I do make the distinction because yall are a bunch of smart people.

Sex is immutable and based on your chromosomes, internal and external sexual organs, etc. (according to the APA "refers to a person’s biological status and is typically categorized as male, female, or intersex (i.e., atypical combinations of features that usually distinguish male from female). There are a number of indicators of biological sex, including sex chromosomes, gonads, internal reproductive organs, and external genitalia.). Basically, one will die with the sex they were born with.

Gender, however, is more "fluid" (i.e., differ from what was "assigned at birth "by doctor /society/biology and can have a bio-social cause." According to the APA "Gender identity refers to “one’s sense of oneself as male, female, or transgender” (American Psychological Association, 2006). When one’s gender identity and biological sex are not congruent, the individual may identify as transsexual or as another transgender category (cf. Gainor, 2000)."

 

Although the terms are interchangeable for many, I do prefer to use "sex" to refer to male/female, penis/vagina, XY/XX chromosomes...but "gender" to refer to man/woman, masculine/feminine, guy/girl, etc. I do differentiate them (and no, I know gender is not just binary; I'm just using binary examples here).

 

Yup, same.

 

I always use gender and gender identity unless I'm talking about biological sex. As Chaz Bono put it: sex is what's between your legs, gender is what's between your ears.

 

Sex - Your sexual organs

Gender - What you feel your true sex is

 

Which one do I use for what? To describe a sex, I use "sex". When referring to a gender I use "gender".

 

I use sex to refer to the biological nature of a person -- XX, or XY (or even XXY etc), but gender to refer to what someone identifies as.