Editors of Scientific American - The New Science of Sex and Gender

The New Science of Sex and Gender

From the Editors of Scientific American
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Letters to the Editor
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ISBN: 978-1-2501-2162-2

Gender: From Binary to Mosaic

A gender-equal society would be one where the word gender does not exist: where everyone can be themselves. Gloria Steinem

In 2009, much of the world was introduced to the term intersex through the story of Caster Semenya. The then 18-year-old sprinter from South Africa was forced to undergo a series of invasive (and humiliating) tests to determine her gender and whether she had any unfair advantage against her competitors. The event brought to the forefront issues of gender versus biological sex (along with race) in both sport and the broader society. How does biological sex inform gender identity and expression? What is gender and how is it determined? In this eBook, The New Science of Sex and Gender, we take a look at these issues along with differences between genders and gender inequality.

We begin with Beyond XX and XY, a detailed infographic by Amanda Montanez that shows how a host of factors (including genes, hormones, internal and external sex organs, and secondary sex characteristics) interconnect to determine biological sex. Section 1 continues to explore the complexities of biology, how the medical community has treated intersex individuals (for better or worse) and how the brain may play a bigger role in biological sex development than previously thought.

Sections 2 and 3 explore the real and perceived differences between men and women. Section 2 focuses on the physical brain and psychology. In Is There a Female Brain? Lydia Denworth examines the controversial work of Daphna Joel, whose research concludes that there are not two distinct types of brains categorized by sex (as previously thought) but that the typical brain is a mosaic of both male and female traits. If true, what effect would this finding have on pharmaceutical testing and personal identity development? Section 3 continues by exploring differences in behavior including myths about genders, communication styles and participation in sports.

In Section 4, we look at gender expression and identity. Kristina Olsen, director of the TransYouth Project, examines how children learn gender and the roots of gender identity through the experiences of two young transgender students in When Sex and Gender Collide. The section resumes with selections about how the medical community can better meet the needs of transgender children and the history of transgender healthcare.

We close this collection by looking at gender inequality and our evolving behaviors regarding gender. In The Data Behind the Womens Movement Amanda Montanez provides more dramatic infographics, this time showing the disparity between men and women with regard to income, education, marriage age, representation in government and unpaid work. Montanez goes on to illustrate how womens quality of life is affected by maternal mortality, access to contraception, paid parental leave, domestic violence and access to abortion throughout the world. The section continues with pieces exploring the choices and environment that has led to the perception of a lack of female geniuses, the gender disparity in science and technology andhow to get more women into the global workforce.

In this eBook, The New Science of Sex and Gender, we examine current research behind our evolving views on gender. As Gloria Steinem alluded to, viewing gender as a social construct will breakdown constraining societal norms, allowing more and more individuals to just be themselves. As for Caster Semenya, the 2009 incident did not stop her. She has gone on to win gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and the 2017 World Championships. Most importantly, married to her long-time partner, she is living a happy and healthy life.

-- Karin Tucker
Book Editor

Beyond XX and XY

by Amanda Montaez

A host of factors figure into whether someone is female, male or somewhere in between. Humans are socially conditioned to view sex and gender as binary attributes. From the moment we are bornor even beforewe are definitively labeled boy or girl. Yet science points to a much more ambiguous reality.Determination of biological sex is staggeringly complex, involving not only anatomy but an intricate choreographyof genetic and chemical factors that unfolds over time. Intersex individualsthose for whom sexual developmentfollows an atypical trajectoryare characterized by a diverse range of conditions, such as 5-alpha reductasedeficiency (circled). A small cross section of these conditions and the pathways they follow is shown here. In anadditional layer of complexity, the gender with which a person identifies does not always align with the sex they*are assigned at birth, and they may not be wholly male or female. The more we learn about sex and gender, themore these attributes appear to exist on a spectrum.

Amanda Montaez

*The English language has long struggled with the lack of a widely recognized nongendered third-person singular pronoun. A singular form of they has grown in widespread acceptance, and many people who do not identify with a binary gender use it.

--Originally published: Scientific American 317(3); 50-51 (September 2017).

Going Beyond X and Y

by Sally Lehrman

When Eric Vilain began his medical school rotationin the 1980s, he was assigned to Frances referencecenter for babies with ambiguous genitalia. Hewatched as doctors at the Paris hospital would checkan infants endowment and quickly decide: boy orgirl. Their own discomfort and social beliefs seemedto drive the choice, the young Vilain observed withshock. I kept asking, How do you know? he recalls.After all, a babys genitals might not match thereproductive organs inside.