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Sex
- Sex is defined as a person's femaleness or maleness. It is determined on the basis of five physical criteria: chromosomal sex, gonadal sex, hormonal sex, internal accessory reproductive structures, and external sex organs.
- People are female or male to the degree in which they meet the physical criteria for femaleness or maleness.
- Most individuals are clearly female or male by all five physical criteria. However, a minority fall somewhat short of this test, and their sex is therefore ambiguous (intersexuality).
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Gender
- Gender is defined as a person's femininity or masculinity. It is determined on the basis of certain psychological qualities that are nurtured in one sex and discouraged in the other.
- People are feminine or masculine to the degree in which they conform to their genders.
Most individuals clearly conform to the gender appropriate to their physical sex.
- However, a minority partially assume a gender that contradicts their physical sex (transvestism), and for an even smaller minority such an inversion is complete (transsexualism).
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Sexual Orientation
- Sexual orientation is defined as a person's heterosexuality or homosexuality. It is determined on the basis of preference for sexual partners.
- People are heterosexual or homosexual to the degree in which they are erotically attracted to partners of the other or same sex.
Most individuals develop a clear erotic preference for partners of the other sex (heterosexuality).
- However, a minority are erotically attracted to both women and men (bisexuality), and an even smaller minority are attracted mainly to partners of their own sex (homosexuality).
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