Sex, the

However, ones sex is not always clearly determinable. In some fields of human biology, sex is no longer understood as a dichotomous expression of either the male or female, but is classified as a spectrum. This also takes into account the wide physical variation within the group of people with XX or XY chromosomes.

Despite the conceptual distinction, sex and ⇒ gender are not clearly separable. In everyday life, people still draw conclusions about a person's gender based on their sex, for example, when sex is attributed at birth. Furthermore, the term sex suggests that there is a naturally given, biological masculinity or femininity. However, a biologically grounded ⇒ binary gender model did not emerge in Europe until the 17th century and is by no means cross-cultural. The division of bodies into specific anatomical sexes also has a history and is influenced by social factors as the gender relation lived in a society. Because sex cannot be clearly separated from social processes, it is sometimes understood as part of gender. Viewed in this way, gender is a complex interplay of socio-cultural and biological factors.

Last updated: April 2025

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