2nd Trimester

PSA: Gender is not the same as anatomical sex

Sorry, this is a major pet peeve of mine and I had to say it.

Gender is a psychological/social construct that can take years to develop.

Sex is the biological makeup that makes you male or female.

 

Oh and bonus PSA: the 20 week scan is not a "gender" scan or even a sex scan. It is an anatomy scan.

::gets down off soap box::

You can expect one of these posts a few times a month. 

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Re: PSA: Gender is not the same as anatomical sex

  • eh, NDB.  I will still use them both to mean the same thing. 
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  • One of my law school profs clerked for Ginsburg and swears this is the origin of people saying "gender" for "sex":

     https://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-21/news/mn-59217_1_supreme-court 

     

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  • Wow, our pet peeves are WAY different.

    I look forward to the same exact post again.....lol

     



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  • Sorry but in the medical field, especially ultrasound where I work, gender refers to the anatomical genetalia of an individual.  This isn't going to change anytimes soon. 

    This is like me B!tching that people call me a Ultrasound Technician, which is seriously inaccurate and somewhat insulting, as in the medical imaging fielda a technician is someone without a degree.  Technically I am a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, or Ultrasound Technologist, but there will always be someone who refers to us as Technicians.

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  • It bothers me, also, when people say "sex" when they are referring to the gender... just not enough to make multiple posts about it.
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  • I thought this was interesting the first time I heard this from you, but I researched the definition of gender and found:  The condition of being female or male; sex. 

    I can understand that at work people may not want to be typing the word sex so the word gender is accepted as interchangable and doesn't bother me at all.

    I didn't recall anyone saying gender scan.

    I agree with PP that you and I have different pet peeves!! 

  • imageBrittanie_1987:
    eh, NDB.  I will still use them both to mean the same thing. 

    Yes 

  • hmmmm....I couldn't care less.
  • imageBrittanie_1987:
    eh, NDB.  I will still use them both to mean the same thing. 

    The same for me.  I think we all understand what an individual is referring to using either term.

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  • ... but now I think I misread your post so maybe we disagree.
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  • imageMozzy24:
    hmmmm....I couldn't care less.

    You're my favorite. Because I can't stand when people say "I could care less."

    I just thought I'd throw that out there while we're posting about inane pet peeves.

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  • It may not sound important, but I have many friends who struggle with their gender identity and the distinction is important to them.

    Not a big deal, but I just wanted to have this little PSA for those people who didn't know that a persons gender and sex can be different.

    I do realize they are often used interchangeably, but my argument is that maybe they shouldn't. 

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  • well, yes, techincally, but guess what?  i'm still going to refer to "finding out the sex" as finding out the gender.

    they are interchangeable and until my child comes out to me as being TG then i don't care.

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  • imagekdodge423:
    imageHotomale:

    I thought this was interesting the first time I heard this from you, but I researched the definition of gender and found:  The condition of being female or male; sex. 

    I can understand that at work people may not want to be typing the word sex so the word gender is accepted as interchangable and doesn't bother me at all.

    I didn't recall anyone saying gender scan.

    I agree with PP that you and I have different pet peeves!! 

    Really? Many, many, many posters call their anatomy scan their gender scan or gender ultrasound.

     

     I don't agree or disagree with OP. but.

    It isn't a gender scan unless you hired someone to do nothing, except tell you the ummm, sex. haha.

     

  • imageWannaBeCrunchyMama:
    imagekdodge423:
    imageHotomale:

    I thought this was interesting the first time I heard this from you, but I researched the definition of gender and found:  The condition of being female or male; sex. 

    I can understand that at work people may not want to be typing the word sex so the word gender is accepted as interchangable and doesn't bother me at all.

    I didn't recall anyone saying gender scan.

    I agree with PP that you and I have different pet peeves!! 

    Really? Many, many, many posters call their anatomy scan their gender scan or gender ultrasound.

     

     I don't agree or disagree with OP. but.

    It isn't a gender scan unless you hired someone to do nothing, except tell you the ummm, sex. haha.

     

    Thats true, I guess you could call it a gender/sex scan if you paid someone to do with that purpose in mind. 

    Bonus point to you.
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  • imageManiacMcGee:
    imageWannaBeCrunchyMama:
    imagekdodge423:
    imageHotomale:

    I thought this was interesting the first time I heard this from you, but I researched the definition of gender and found:  The condition of being female or male; sex. 

    I can understand that at work people may not want to be typing the word sex so the word gender is accepted as interchangable and doesn't bother me at all.

    I didn't recall anyone saying gender scan.

    I agree with PP that you and I have different pet peeves!! 

    Really? Many, many, many posters call their anatomy scan their gender scan or gender ultrasound.

     

     I don't agree or disagree with OP. but.

     

    Thats true, I guess you could call it a gender/sex scan if you paid someone to do with that purpose in mind. 

    Bonus point to you.

    True, but that's not what they are doing. They call their anatomy scan a gender scan. All.the.time. 

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  • :::YAWN:::
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  • imagekdodge423:
    imageHotomale:

    I thought this was interesting the first time I heard this from you, but I researched the definition of gender and found:  The condition of being female or male; sex. 

    I can understand that at work people may not want to be typing the word sex so the word gender is accepted as interchangable and doesn't bother me at all.

    I didn't recall anyone saying gender scan.

    I agree with PP that you and I have different pet peeves!! 

    Really? Many, many, many posters call their anatomy scan their gender scan or gender ultrasound.

     

    Agreed.  I believe the actual statistic is 90% of posters call it the "gender scan".

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  • who the fark cares, seriously
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  • imagebootsnbananas:
    who the fark cares, seriously

    Yes

    I'm pretty sure that this post will not change anything. 

    I'm also pretty sure that as a result of it, I will never hear someone say "gender scan" and think that they are going to find out the "psychological/social construct that can take years to develop".

     

     

  • I was actually just discussing this very topic with my coworker.  I am an anthropologist, and I have read quite a bit of literature on the subject of biological sex vs. gender.  I agree that these two ideas are separate and distinct, although I also agree that American culture usually identifies gender=sex, and that probably isn't going to change any time soon.  And for the record, there are numerous cultures that actually utilize a third and sometimes fourth gender that individuals identify with, regardless of biological sex.  

    Sorry, I know most of you don't care, and I probably wouldn't either if it wasn't something I had specifically researched.  But I did want to give my two cents to share with the original poster.   

  • imageAshfieldMay:
    image Anyway...

    This made my day! 

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  • imagelaurenwhitman410:

    I was actually just discussing this very topic with my coworker.  I am an anthropologist, and I have read quite a bit of literature on the subject of biological sex vs. gender.  I agree that these two ideas are separate and distinct, although I also agree that American culture usually identifies gender=sex, and that probably isn't going to change any time soon.  And for the record, there are numerous cultures that actually utilize a third and sometimes fourth gender that individuals identify with, regardless of biological sex.  

    Sorry, I know most of you don't care, and I probably wouldn't either if it wasn't something I had specifically researched.  But I did want to give my two cents to share with the original poster.   

    I majored in anthropology so I care. But I just get excited when someone even knows what anthropology is LOL 

    image

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  • Since we're getting technical, gender is a social construct, but it is one that the parents and society assign based on sex. So unless you plan on finding out the sex but never using any gender specific color/clothes/etc, you are finding out the gender.
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  • OP, totally agree.  After doing a lot of work with LGBT groups in college, I'm much more aware of the importance of language.  Nothing wrong with encouraging people to use appropriate terminology, especially when the issue is important to you. 
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  • I completely agree with the OP. After taking many social work/human relations classes I learned that they are not the same thing.
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