Blackwell Reference Online

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Often confused or used as if the terms were the same, sex and gender are in actuality different designations of human behavior based on physical capabilities and social expectations. Sex is related to the biological distinctions between males and females primarily found in relation to the reproductive functions of their bodies. Biological sex is usually stated as if there are two, and only two, distinct bodies: male and female. But, in fact, there are gradations between male and female accounting for at least five sexes ( Fausto-Sterling 1999 ). In the past called hermaphrodites, and today intersexual, these are people with a mixture of male and female genitalia. In addition, there are those who feel they are encased in a body of the wrong sex, some of whom take hormones and eventually undergo surgery to become transsexuals. Another classification is transgender, which is often used in the same way as the word transsexual, but also indicates people who cross the barrier of gender without physical change. Sex is not a clear-cut matter of chromosomes, hormones, and genitalia that produce females and males. All humans have hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, but they are found in varying and changing levels ( Fausto-Sterling 1999 ; Kimmel 2004 ). Men as well as women have breasts. Some men have bigger breasts than some women and some men get breast cancer. Women have facial ... log in or subscribe to read full text