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Does the word "gender" get overused at times?

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by femivir, Feb 21, 2014.

  1. femivir

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    I know my question sounds weird. If anything, it is the word "sex" that gets overused by most people. But it seems to me that sometimes, once someone has become aware of the difference between the two, the person can go overboard in avoiding the word "sex" altogether, except when talking about sexual activity. Here are two examples I have experienced:

    1) I was once at a science museum, and a staff member was giving a talk about insects. He refered to the "gender" of a mosquito. Really? Mosquitos come in two sexes, but do they really have "gender identities"?

    2) Recently, a married couple I know had a party at which they announced the "gender" of the baby whose birth they are expecting in a few months. Now I am sure that the ultrasound technician could detect the sex of the fetus, but the gender?

    Perhaps I misunderstand the current meaning of these two words.
     
  2. BookDragon

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    Perhaps you just notice it more because you know the difference it can make...
     
  3. NotBrokenYet

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    The thing about parents going to find out the 'gender' of their babies bothers me SO MUCH too!!!! I don't think its necessarily people over-using the word, but I think its people who use 'sex' and 'gender' interchangeably and don't recognize the difference. Also, because binarism is a really strong presence in the West particularly, as well as the fact that not everyone understands gender issues and what gender actually IS, gender is often equated to genitalia which, I'm sure you know, is not the case. Equating genitalia to gender contributes to sex and gender being interchangeable or the same thing to a lot of people, since they assume that if you have a certain set of genitalia, your gender invariably falls into the little socially-constructed box set up to match that set of genitalia. Its a problem, but not with OVER using the word. Just using it the wrong way and assuming its something it isn't, at least in my opinion.
     
  4. Sarcastic Luck

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    Sex and gender are often used interchangeably in society.
     
  5. drwinchester

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    Yeah. I think of it this way. 90% of the time (look, I'm a doctor, not a staticion) sex and gender are going to match up. So naturally, people are probably going to assume that's the usual/normal case.

    It's annoying, yeah, but just depends on how knowledgable or informed the speaker is about gender v sex. I try not to mind.
     
  6. clockworkfox

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    I agree, I think that this is the real issue with scenarios like this. I used to call people out on this so much in high school.
     
  7. CharlieHK

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    I didn't know they weren't interchangeable until finding out about being trans*...
     
  8. HarryPotterFan

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    I think you notice it because you know the difference. Most still think the two are interchangeable. So it's just them being incorrect, really.
     
  9. Ettina

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    I don't like the term 'sex' because it can be both a set of physical attributes and an activity. Is there a term that can be used to refer specifically to the physical attributes?
     
  10. BookDragon

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    Yeah...'sex'. That IS the scientific term for it...the activity is 'sexual intercourse' but that takes too long...
     
  11. NotBrokenYet

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    I've heard 'biosex' used as a short form for biological sex. But then there are also people who argue that biological sex is also a social construction and default to 'AFAB' (or similar) or 'AMAB' (or similar) which informs a person that they were assigned that gender at birth and that as such, they probably have the biological features that people associate with that gender, rather than saying 'my biological sex is....'.
     
  12. femivir

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    I find these replies fascinating. I think my reaction to this confusion of terminology is stronger than many of yours because I am a lot older.

    I remember when the word "gender" was only used in language classes. Latin nouns, for example, had either masculine, feminine, or neuter gender. In fact, the word "gender" comes from a Latin word that basically means "category."

    When talking about people, the only word in common usage was "sex". Then, at some point, as people began to distinguish between one's biological sex and one's identity, it became apparant that a new term was needed. So "gender" was coined. It was introduced for one specific purpose: to talk about something that was NOT one's "sex" (although one's gender is alligned with one's sex for the majority of people, as drwinchester pointed out.)

    If the two words have become interchangeable in common usage, then this whole project has largely failed. Many people are still not aware of a distinction between a person's identity and a person's plumbing. We just have two different words for the plumbing now. And that was never the intent.

    It is disheartening to think about how quickly a brand new word like "twerk" has caught on, while "gender" is still facing an uphill battle.
     
    #12 femivir, Feb 24, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2014
  13. Miiaaaaa

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    This.
     
  14. Miss Emma

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    I hate that they're considered interchangeable. I went to the DMV. I filled out the form for my CDL. I had to force my hand to check the "gender" box "m" as they would have made me change it anyway. got my CDL and it says "SEX: M." So even in government they're misused and "interchangeable."
     
  15. Ettina

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    Why? Biological sex long predates any kind of society. How can it possibly be socially constructed?
     
  16. justjade

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    I personally hate how, when you go to renew your driver's license, the field says "gender", but when your license is actually printed, it says "sex" instead.
     
  17. Sarah257

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    Welcome to the wide, wide world of "termilogical inexactitude". The fact is, many people use many words in ways that are not technically appropriate. Do you know how many times I've heard people say "I'm addictided to this!" when in all actuality, they're not. All the time. You see, society develops the vernacular out of ignorance and a desire for extra expressive opportunities. Most people go on using impropper terms and never realize this or even care. Those who have done their research are often irked when terms are used incorrectly or ideas are expressed in ways which fail to capture the essence of something. I know I am. The only thing we can do is try to spread awareness of these issues, and hope that people catch on.

    On a slightly funny note: The other day I ran into the gender/sex issue on a piece of paperwork. It needed my "gender", but I knew that's not what it meant. I was seriously tempted to put female, but I figured there would be some annoying legal issues that might pop up (I'm not full time yet, only at home) What I chose to do was circle male, but put a little asterisk next to it. Take that, so-called interchangable words! :lol:
     
  18. lookingforlabel

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    This. I joined this forum in the first place because my gender ID and sexual orientation are "normal", but I'm uncomfortable with my physical sex. I had no idea what to call that.

    This reminds me of a scene in a TV show where this guy basically passed out during the American Revolution and woke up in modern day America.
    Guy from the past: I'm still reconciling today's languages and its advancements. For instance, in my era, a "toilet" was a vanity cabinet, "intercourse" meant simply social conversation, "awful" meant awe-inspiring.
    Girl from the present: So if I went on a date with a guy and we had awful intercourse, we'd be going on a second date?
    Guy: Disconcerting, yet accurate.
     
  19. Ettina

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    I want to watch that! What's the show called?
     
  20. lookingforlabel

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    It's "Sleepy Hollow". :icon_wink