Basic information

Q: What does the word gender mean?

Gender was originally a term from grammar. Since the 1950s it has been used for the social side of being a man or a woman: roles, expression and the identity that someone reports themselves. What it means exactly depends on who uses the word: for one person it is the expectations of society, for another an inner feeling.

Q: Who came up with the concept of gender?

In 1955 the psychologist John Money used the term gender role for the behaviour by which someone makes themselves known as a man or a woman. In the 1960s the psychiatrist Robert Stoller added gender identity: the inner sense of being a man or a woman. From the 1970s feminist thinkers used the distinction to show that many differences between men and women are learned.

Q: What is gender-neutral language?

Gender-neutral language is language that does not refer to man or woman. In Dutch it mainly concerns pronouns such as hen and die and neutral forms of address, which are used more often than before. Opinions differ about that usage. The article on gender-neutral language on this site goes into it further.

Q: Is intersex a gender identity?

No. Intersex, also called DSD in medicine, is a medical term for a range of conditions in which physical sex development proceeds differently from usual. It says nothing about how someone describes themselves. How often it occurs depends on the definition: the estimates range from about 0.02 per cent with a strict definition to 1.7 per cent when mild hormonal variations are also counted.

What is gender? Terms, definitions and the relationship to biological sex. Start here to get to know the core concepts.

Gender is a broad concept that has come to play a central role in public discussions, policy and care. Anyone who wants to follow the debate would do well to know the basic terms first and to distinguish between biological sex (a demonstrable biological reality: two gamete systems, stable and binary) and gender (a theoretical concept that refers to social roles, expression and self-reported identity).

The pages below deal with the fundamentals: what gender means, how it relates to biological sex, what is meant by "gender identity" and "gender expression", how gender norms arise and vary, and how gender has been understood historically and cross-culturally. This also includes attention to gender-neutral language, pronouns and the distinction between gender identity and sexual orientation — two things that are often confused in the public debate.

For all common gender terms — identity labels, transition terms, cultural and international terms — see the terms page. There each term has its own explanation with origin, meaning and critical context.

This section takes account of the current state of research, including critical perspectives. The claim that every person has an inner "gender identity" that is separate from the body is theoretical, not empirically proven — and is contradicted, with reasons, by various scientists and feminists. Those who know the basics are better able to judge which statements in the debate hold up and which rest on assumptions that are still under discussion.

Sex and gender: two words, two meanings

In Dutch, the word 'geslacht' long meant both the physical distinction between man and woman and everything that goes with it socially. The English word gender, originally a term from grammar, acquired a new meaning in the 1950s. In 1955 the psychologist John Money spoke of 'gender role' for the behaviour by which someone makes themselves known as a man or a woman. In the 1960s the psychiatrist Robert Stoller added the concept of 'gender identity': the inner sense of being a man or a woman. From the 1970s feminist thinkers used the distinction to show that many differences between men and women are learned and not innate. That development is described in History of gender.

Biological sex refers to the physical side: chromosomes, gonads, hormones and the role in reproduction. What gender is exactly depends on who uses the word: for one person it is the expectations of society, for another an inner feeling. That ambiguity is the source of much confusion. Read more in What is gender? and Gender and biological sex.

Identity, expression and orientation

Three concepts are often used interchangeably. Gender identity is how someone describes themselves. Gender expression is how someone presents themselves, in clothing, hairstyle, voice and behaviour. Sexual orientation is about who someone is attracted to. A boy who likes playing with dolls or a girl who dresses in a tough way deviates from an expectation, not from his or her sex. Keeping those three apart is important, especially with children: research into children with gender dysphoria shows that some of them later turn out to be gay or lesbian. More on this in Gender identity and gender expression and Gender and sexuality.

Norms, cultures and language

What counts as masculine or feminine differs by time and place. Occupations that were once men's work are now also done by women and vice versa, and clothing that was for men in one century belonged to women in another. Such gender norms therefore change, while the physical distinction remains the same. Some societies have a separate social role for people who deviate from the norm, such as the hijra in South Asia or the fa'afafine in Samoa; Gender in other cultures goes into this.

Language is changing too. In Dutch, pronouns such as 'hen' and 'die' and neutral forms of address are used more often, and opinions differ about that usage. See Gender-neutral language.

Intersex is something different

In intersex, also called DSD in medicine, physical sex development proceeds differently from usual. It is a medical term for a range of different conditions and not a gender identity. How often it occurs depends on the definition: the estimates range from about 0.02 per cent with a strict definition to 1.7 per cent when mild hormonal variations are also counted. What that does and does not say about the division into male and female can be read in Intersex: the third sex?.