gender binary

The term gender binary describes the system in which a society allocates its members into one of two sets of gender roles and gender identities, which assign attributes based on their biological sex (chromosomal and genitalia).{{Cite book |title=Gendered bodies : feminist perspectives |last1=Lorber |first1=Judith |last2=Moore |first2=Lisa Jean |date=2007 |publisher=Roxbury Pub. Co |isbn=978-1-933220-41-3 |location=Los Angeles, Calif. |pages=2 |oclc=64453299}} In the case of intersex people, the gender binary system is limited. Those who are intersex have rare genetic differences which can give them the sex organs of both sexes or otherwise non-normative genitalia and may have difficulties fitting into the gender binary system.{{Cite journal |last1=Fausto-Sterling |first1=Anne |title=The Five Sexes, Revisited |journal=The Sciences |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=18–23 |publisher=New York Academy of Sciences |doi=10.1002/j.2326-1951.2000.tb03504.x |pmid=12569934 |year=2000}}

Scholars who study the gender binary from an intersectional feminist and critical race theory perspective{{Cite journal |last1=Carbado |first1=Devon W. |last2=Crenshaw |first2=Kimberlé Williams |last3=Mays |first3=Vickie M. |last4=Tomlinson |first4=Barbara |date=2013 |title=INTERSECTIONALITY |journal=Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=303–312 |doi=10.1017/s1742058x13000349 |issn=1742-058X |pmc=4181947 |pmid=25285150}} argue that during the process of European colonization in North and South America, a binary system of gender was enforced as a means of maintaining patriarchal norms and upholding European nationalism.{{Cite journal |last=Narayan |first=Yasmeen |date=2 October 2018 |title=Intersectionality, nationalisms, biocoloniality |url=https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/25144/3/25144.pdf |journal=Ethnic and Racial Studies |volume=42 |issue=8 |pages=1225–1244 |doi=10.1080/01419870.2018.1518536 |issn=0141-9870 |s2cid=149928000}} The binary system has also been critiqued as scholars claim that biological sex and gender differ from one another; with sex relating to biological and chromosomal differences between males, females, and intersex people, while gender instead is a result of sociocultural socialization.Darling, Marsha J.Tyson. "Living on the Margins Beyond Gender Binaries: What Are the Challenges to Securing Rights." Public Integrity, vol. 23, no. 6, Nov. 2021, pp. 573–94. EBSCOhost, {{doi|10.1080/10999922.2020.1825180}}

Traditional gender roles are influenced and preserved by the media, religion, mainstream education, political systems, cultural systems, and social systems.{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Joy |last2=Repta |first2=Robin |title=Sex and Gender: Beyond the Binaries |journal=Designing and Conducting Gender, Sex, & Health Research |date=2002 |pages=17–39 |url=http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/40428_Chapter2.pdf |access-date=2 April 2015}}

In English, some nouns (e.g., boy), honorific titles (e.g., Miss), occupational titles (e.g., actress), and personal pronouns (e.g., she, his) are gendered, and they fall into a male/female binary.{{Cite journal |last1=Gustafsson Sendén |first1=Marie |last2=Bäck |first2=Emma A. |last3=Lindqvist |first3=Anna |date=2015 |title=Introducing a gender-neutral pronoun in a natural gender language: the influence of time on attitudes and behavior |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=6 |page=893 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00893 |pmid=26191016 |pmc=4486751 |issn=1664-1078 |doi-access=free}} Personal pronouns in the English language are typically associated with either men (he/him) or women (she/her), which excludes people who do not identify as a man or a woman.{{Cite web |last=Lab |first=Purdue Writing |title=Gendered Pronouns & Singular "They" // Purdue Writing Lab |url=https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/pronouns/gendered_pronouns_and_singular_they.html |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=Purdue Writing Lab |language=en}} However, gender-neutral pronouns, such as singular they pronouns (they/them) are sometimes used by nonbinary and gender nonconforming individuals as well as in situations where the gender is unknown.{{Cite web |date=22 May 2020 |title=Gender-Neutral Pronouns 101: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know |url=https://www.them.us/story/gender-neutral-pronouns-101-they-them-xe-xem |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=them. |language=en-US}} A 2019 study found that "close to 1 in 5 Americans personally know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns such as 'they' instead of 'he' or {{"'}}she{{'"}}.{{Cite news |date=19 February 2020 |title=Should your email say if you're he, she or they? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51331571 |access-date=2 May 2022}} In addition, people may use neopronouns in place of other personal pronouns. Examples of neopronouns include xe/xem, ze/zim, and sie/hir.

According to Hyde and colleagues, children raised within English-speaking (and other gendered-language) environments come to view gender as a binary category.{{Cite journal |last1=Hyde |first1=Janet Shibley |last2=Bigler |first2=Rebecca S. |last3=Joel |first3=Daphna |last4=Tate |first4=Charlotte Chucky |last5=van Anders |first5=Sari M. |date=February 2019 |title=The future of sex and gender in psychology: Five challenges to the gender binary |journal=American Psychologist |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=171–193 |doi=10.1037/amp0000307 |pmid=30024214 |issn=1935-990X |doi-access=free}} They state that for children who learn English as their primary language in the United States, adults' use of the gender binary to explicitly sort individuals (i.e. "boys" and "girls" bathrooms and sports teams), and not just the presence of gender markers, causes gender biases. Those biases can appear in information processing, and can affect attitudes and behavior directed at those both inside and outside of the gender binary language system.Keener, Emily, and Kourtney Kotvas. "Beyond He and She: Does the Singular Use of 'They, Them, Their' Function Generically as Inclusive Pronouns for Cisgender Men and Women?" Gender Issues, vol. 40, no. 1, Mar. 2023, pp. 23–43. EBSCOhost, {{doi|10.1007/s12147-022-09297-8}}. An example of this would be the use of gendered language in job descriptions and advertisements: those who are excluded by the language used may not apply for the position, leading to a segregated field of work. For example, women could be systemically excluded from a workplace or career that exclusively uses the pronouns "he" to advertise new job openings. The exclusive use of "she" and "he" (binary pronouns) can also systemically exclude those who do not fit within the gender binary and may prefer gender neutral language.

Language is constantly in flux, particularly language concerning the gender binary. For example, in Sweden a proposal was published in a national newspaper to expand the personal pronouns of hon (she) and han (he) to also include hen.Vergoossen, Hellen P. ..1988. Breaking the Binary: Attitudes towards and Cognitive Effects of Gender-Neutral Pronouns. Jan. 2021. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsswe&AN=edsswe.oai.DiVA.org.su.195457&site=eds-live&scope=site. The article was met with a variety of reactions. Many argued in support that hen could operate as a pronoun for nonbinary individuals who preferred it, and would make language more gender fair and be able to avoid binary labels imposed on things like workplace advertisements. Others had the opinion that the use of hen would be inconsequential in the advance of gender equality in Sweden, and would be confusing for children. The inclusion of hen challenges preconceived notions of what gender and language can mean together, and proposes new possibilities of how gender is defined outside of a binary system.

Along with using the gender binary to categorize human bodies, cultures that obey the binary may also use it to label things, places, and ideas. For example, in American culture, people identify playing sports as a masculine activity and shopping as a feminine activity; blue is a color for boys while pink is for girls; care work is a feminine profession while management is associated with masculinity, etc.

Some languages gender their words into masculine and feminine forms, such as French or Spanish.{{Cite book |last=Wade |last2=Ferree |first=Lisa |first2=Myra Marx |title=Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions, Second Edition |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-393-67428-6 |pages=11–12}}

The gender binary is introduced unconsciously at a young age, often within familial and school settings. For example, those considered to be girls are expected to be emotional, affectionate, talk excessively, complain more than average, and be picky about their surroundings and appearances, while boys are expected to be cruel, dominant, and act as a leader in group settings.deMayo, Benjamin, et al. "Endorsement of Gender Stereotypes in Gender Diverse and Cisgender Adolescents and Their Parents." PLoS ONE, vol. 17, no. 6, June 2022, pp. 1–16. EBSCOhost, {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0269784}} These characteristic while stereotypes, can be encouraged and influenced through objects like toys (e.g. baby dolls introducing maternal and domestic labor) but also in schools. Girls are often expected to excel in English classes, while boys are expected to succeed in P.E. and STEM courses. Early childhood stereotypes like boys being better at math than girls have been linked to the disproportionately small number of women pursuing math related careers, and a general disengagement from math related courses in education.Block, Katharina, et al. "Exposure to Stereotype-Relevant Stories Shapes Children's Implicit Gender Stereotypes." PLoS ONE, vol. 17, no. 8, Aug. 2022, pp. 1–18. EBSCOhost, {{doi|10.1371/journal.pone.0271396}}. There has been an increase in publishing children books targeted at girls to encourage more participation in STEM fields and to dismantle gendered stereotypes taught to children by popular media.

Major religions often teach a gender binary and act as authorities for gender roles.{{Citation needed |date=March 2024}} Many Christians teach that the gender binary is both good and normal, pointing to the gender binary evident in the creation story of the Book of Genesis in the Bible, where it is declared that, "God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."{{cite web |last1=Schwarzwalder |first1=Rob |date=May 31, 2016 | title=Sexual Madness and the Image of God |url=https://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/sexual-madness-and-the-image-of-god |access-date=17 December 2019 |publisher=Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission}}{{cite web | last=Yuan | first=Christopher | date=14 December 2019 | title=He Made Them Male and Female: Sex, Gender, and the Image of God | website=Desiring God | url=https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/he-made-them-male-and-female | access-date=29 March 2024}} Carol S. Wimmer suggests that the Genesis creation narrative implies a linguistic gender binary of "form, essence, or purpose of role" but not of "sexuality, sexual function, or sexual activity".{{cite web | last=Wimmer | first=Carol S. | date=10 June 2021 | title=Male and Female in Genesis 1 | website=Carol S. Wimmer | url=https://carolwimmer.com/male-and-female-in-genesis-1/ | access-date=1 April 2024}}

Gender binarism may create institutionalized structures of power, and individuals who identify outside traditional gender binaries may experience discrimination and harassment. Many LGBTQ+ people, notably youth activist groups, advocate against gender binarism. Many individuals within the LGBTQ+ community report an internal hierarchy of power status. Some who do not identify within a binary system experience being at the bottom of the hierarchy. Different variables such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, and more can lower or raise one's perceived power.{{cite journal |last1=Farmer |first1=Laura Boyd |last2=Byrd |first2=Rebekah |title=Genderism in the LGBTQQIA Community: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis |journal=Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling |date=2015 |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=288–310 |doi=10.1080/15538605.2015.1103679 |s2cid=146423757}}

There are many individuals and several subcultures that can be considered exceptions to the gender binary or specific transgender identities worldwide. In addition to individuals whose bodies are naturally intersex, there are also specific ceremonial and social roles that are seen as third gender. The hijra of South Asia and some Two-Spirit Indigenous Peoples of North America are often cited as examples. Feminist philosopher María Lugones argues that Western colonizers imposed their dualistic ideas of gender on indigenous peoples, replacing pre-existing indigenous concepts.{{Cite journal |jstor=4640051 |title=Heterosexualism and the Colonial / Modern Gender System |journal=Hypatia |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=186–209 |last=Lugones |first=María |date=12 December 2017}}

In the contemporary West, non-binary or genderqueer people do not adhere to the gender binary by refusing terms like "male" and "female", as they do not identify as either. Transgender people have a unique place in relation to the gender binary. In some cases, attempting to conform to societal expectations for their gender, transgender individuals may opt for surgery, hormones, or both.{{Cite book |title=Transmen and FTMs: Identities, Bodies, Genders, and Sexualities |last=Cromwell |first=Jason |publisher=University of Illinois |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-252-06825-6 |location=Chicago, Illinois |pages=511}}

Ball culture is an example of how the LGBT community interprets and rejects the gender binary. Paris is Burning, a film directed by Jennie Livingston, depicts New York's ballroom scene in the late 1980s.{{cite AV media |author=Livingston, Jennie |author2=Xtravaganza, Angie |author3=Corey, Dorian |author4=Dupree, Paris |author5=LaBeija, Pepper |author6=Ninja, Willi |title=Paris Is Burning |oclc=1269377435}} To compete in the balls, men, women, and everyone in between create costumes and walk in their respective categories: Butch Queen, Transmale Realness, and Femme Queen to name a few. During the balls, the gender binary is thrown out the window, and the people competing are allowed to express themselves however they interpret the category. Within the scenes of people competing in various categories there is a narrative that describes life outside the gender binary in New York. Since the film came out, there has been a decline in the ballroom scene due to the rise of media and the appropriation of the drag culture.{{Cite news |last=Green |first=Jesse |date=18 April 1993 |title=Paris Has Burned |language=en-US |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/18/style/paris-has-burned.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=21 April 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Aseo neutral by Daquella manera.jpg

Some scholars have contested the existence of a clear gender binary. Judith Lorber explains the problem of failing to question dividing people into these two groups "even though they often find more significant within-group differences than between-group differences."Lorber, Judith. "Believing is Seeing: Biology as Ideology." In The Gendered Society Reader, edited by Michael S. Kimmel, Amy Aronson, and Amy Kaler, 11-18. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press, 2011. Lorber argues that this corroborates the fact that the gender binary is arbitrary and leads to false expectations of both men and women. Instead, there is growing support for the possibility of utilizing additional categories that compare people without "prior assumptions about who is like whom".

This idea of a gender as a binary is thought to be an oppressive means of reflecting differential power dynamics.{{Cite journal |last=Boydston |first=Jeanne |date=November 2008 |title=Gender as a Question of Historical Analysis |journal=Gender & History |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=558–583 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-0424.2008.00537.x |s2cid=145684407 |issn=0953-5233}}

Gendered stereotypes maintain the gender binary and the systems of power within it.Jacques, Sarah A., et al. "Perceptions of Nonbinary Identifying Individuals: Through the Lens of Gender and Race." Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, vol. 27, no. 1, Spring 2022, pp. 46–58. EBSCOhost, {{doi|10.24839/2325-7342.JN27.1.46}}.

People outside of the gender binary also experience harmful stereotypes, and are both affected by cisgender stereotypes and biases regarding being transgender or gender nonconforming. For example, the labels "mentally ill" and "confused" are stereotypes uniquely assigned to transgender individuals by cisgender people.Howansky, Kristina, et al. "(Trans)Gender Stereotypes and the Self: Content and Consequences of Gender Identity Stereotypes." Self & Identity, vol. 20, no. 4, June 2021, pp. 478–95. EBSCOhost, {{doi|10.1080/15298868.2019.1617191}}. Interesting enough, transgender children themselves appear to endorse less gender stereotypes at a young age and are tolerant of larger levels of gender nonconformity. Often, stereotypes applied by cisgender individuals to transgender and gender nonconforming people are a combination of stereotypes surrounding biological sex and broader stereotypes about transgender identities. These result in conflicting and false images that directly and violently harm trans people; a study in conducted in 2021 found that cis individuals would stereotype a trans-man as "aggressive like cis-men, weak like cis-women, and mentally ill like trans-women." Transphobic stereotypes like these contribute to violence against trans and gender nonconforming communities, where transgender individuals are physically assaulted or killed, misgendered, denied access to spaces that affirm their identity, and are legally blocked from changing their identifies on government and other official documents. Discrimination and assault rates are even higher for trans and gender nonconforming people of color than their white counterparts. In 2017, a study found that it was 2.7 times more likely for BIPOC trans and gender nonconforming individuals to be sexually or physically assaulted and intimidated than white transgender and gender nonconforming people.

Cisnormativity is a product of the gender binary that assumes people are cisgender, meaning that their gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth.{{Cite journal |last=Worthen |first=Meredith G. F. |date=1 September 2021 |title=Why Can't You Just Pick One? The Stigmatization of Non-binary/Genderqueer People by Cis and Trans Men and Women: An Empirical Test of Norm-Centered Stigma Theory |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01216-z |journal=Sex Roles |language=en |volume=85 |issue=5 |pages=343–356 |doi=10.1007/s11199-020-01216-z |s2cid=233903735 |issn=1573-2762}} Both binary and nonbinary transgender individuals are excluded from this ideology. This leads to individuals outside the gender binary experiencing disparities in health and violence at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels due to their non-normative status.{{Cite journal |last=LeMaster |first=Benny |date=2017 |title=Unlearning the Violence of the Normative |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.14321/qed.4.2.0123 |journal=QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=123–130 |doi=10.14321/qed.4.2.0123 |jstor=10.14321/qed.4.2.0123 |s2cid=149243928 |issn=2327-1574}}

The gender binary, and especially unwavering belief in the binary, creates a hierarchal system in which those who are gender nonconforming, transgender, non-binary and so forth may be pathologized, and be viewed as abnormal and disrupting the "status quo" and may be discriminated and harmed as a result.

Gender binarism poses limitations on the adequacy of medical care provided to gender-nonconforming patients. There is a large gap in medical literature on non-binary populations who have unique healthcare needs.{{Cite journal |last1=Edmiston |first1=E. Kale |last2=Donald |first2=Cameron A. |last3=Sattler |first3=Alice Rose |last4=Peebles |first4=J. Klint |last5=Ehrenfeld |first5=Jesse M. |last6=Eckstrand |first6=Kristen Laurel |date=2016 |title=Opportunities and Gaps in Primary Care Preventative Health Services for Transgender Patients: A Systemic Review |journal=Transgender Health |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=216–230 |doi=10.1089/trgh.2016.0019 |issn=2380-193X |pmc=5367473 |pmid=28861536}} A lack of cultural competency about nonbinary gender identities among providers contributes to nonbinary transgender individuals facing greater health disparities than both binary transgender and cisgender individuals.{{Cite journal |last1=Hana |first1=Tommy |last2=Butler |first2=Kat |last3=Young |first3=L Trevor |last4=Zamora |first4=Gerardo |last5=Lam |first5=June Sing Hong |date=1 April 2021 |title=Transgender health in medical education |url=http://www.who.int/entity/bulletin/volumes/99/4/19-249086.pdf |journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization |volume=99 |issue=4 |pages=296–303 |doi=10.2471/BLT.19.249086 |issn=0042-9686 |pmc=8085635 |pmid=33953447}}

There are many public figures that have opposed the gender binary by wearing clothing not typically associated with their perceived gender or their gender identity, such as Prince, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Jaden Smith, Ruby Rose, Rain Dove, Billy Porter, and Harry Styles.{{Cite web |last=Weikle |first=Brandie |date=9 January 2022 |title=Gender-fluid dressing could lead to renaissance in fashion, says advocate |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/gender-fluid-dressing-could-lead-to-renaissance-in-fashion-says-advocate-1.6306160 |access-date=28 April 2022 |website=CBC News}}{{Cite news |title=Jaden Smith Opens Up About Being A Gender Neutral Style Icon To 'GQ' & It's Truly Inspiring |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/147896-jaden-smith-opens-up-about-being-a-gender-neutral-style-icon-to-gq-its-truly |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=Bustle |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Geffen |first=Sasha |title=Glitter Up the Dark : How Pop Music Broke the Binary |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-4773-1878-2 |pages=190–199 |language=en}} Public figures that identify as of non-binary gender include Sam Smith, Indya Moore, Brigette Lundy-Paine, King Princess, Jonathan Van Ness, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Amandla Stenberg, Demi Lovato, and more.{{Cite web |last=Ahlgrim |first=Callie |title=14 celebrities who don't identify as either male or female |url=https://www.insider.com/9-celebrities-who-identify-as-gender-non-binary-2019-6 |access-date=1 May 2022 |website=Insider |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=15 June 2018 |title=King Princess Is a Genderqueer Pop Icon for the Next Generation of Queer Youth |url=https://www.them.us/story/king-princess-make-my-bed |access-date=1 May 2022 |website=them. |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=25 October 2019 |title=King Princess and Mj Rodriguez on the self-actualizing power of inventing a new persona |url=https://www.documentjournal.com/2019/10/king-princess-cheap-queen-mj-rodriguez-pose-discuss-power-and-persona/ |access-date=1 May 2022 |website=Document Journal |language=en-US}}

A popular figure in the music industry, Harry Styles' appearance on the cover of American Vogue in 2020 was popular for his rejection of gendered clothing norms.{{Cite journal |last=Mowat |first=Chris |date=July 2021 |title=Forum Introduction: Addressing Gender, Gendering Dress |journal=Gender & History |language=en |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=289–295 |doi=10.1111/1468-0424.12539 |s2cid=236366247 |issn=0953-5233|doi-access=free }} Styles rejected the implicit separation of feminine and masculine by wearing both a dress, a clothing item associated with women, as well as a blazer, which is associated with men for the Vogue cover.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Nina Luangrath- |title=Harry Styles: Breaking The Gender Binary |url=https://pfhstheroar.com/8812/culture/harry-styles-breaking-the-gender-binary/ |access-date=29 April 2022 |website=The Roar}} His embrace of both clothing associated with women and men is a rejection of the gender binary.

{{Portal|LGBTQ}}

{{Columns-list|colwidth=35em|

• Androgyny
• Anti-gender movement
• Butch and femme
• Dyad (sociology)
• Effeminacy
• Endosex
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• Discrimination against non-binary people
• Gender dysphoria
• Gender essentialism
• Gender in Bugis society
• Gender polarization
• Gender policing
• Heteronormativity
• Heterosexism
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• Sex–gender distinction
• Sexual inversion (sexology)
• Social construction of gender
• Violence against LGBTQ people
• Violence against transgender people

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{{Reflist}}

• binaohan, b. decolonizing trans/gender 101. biyuti publishing, 2014. {{ISBN|978-0-9937935-1-6}}
• GenderQueer: Voices from Beyond the Sexual Binary (Alyson), (Joan Nestle, Clair Howell Co-Editors) 2002 {{ISBN|978-1-55583-730-3}}
• {{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2012/09/pregnant-males-and-pseudopenises-complex-sex-in-the-animal-kingdom/ |title=Pregnant males and pseudopenises: complex sex in the animal kingdom |date=9 September 2012 |publisher=Ars Technica}}

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