Time out! Let's pause to go over some terminology.
Sex & Gender
Sex
Sex (also called assigned sex or sex assigned at birth) refers to the chromosomes we are born with, as well as hormones and other things, and whether someone is assigned female, male, or intersex at birth.
Gender
Gender (or gender identity) refers to how people identify — it's more about their identity than their biology (e.g., woman/girl, man/boy, nonbinary).
Gender Expression
How someone expresses themselves in feminine, masculine, or androgynous ways. This could include the kind of clothes they wear, the activities they are interested in, their speech and mannerisms, and how they wear their hair or use makeup or nail polish, to name a few examples.
Sex, Gender, Gender Expression…
Gender socialization and the gender binary mash these three terms together in ways that are very limiting for both children and adults. What's left is an unnecessarily strict recipe for HOW to be a girl/woman or a boy/man — and people are expected to fall in line.
As we will discuss, society also makes false assumptions about people's sexuality and gender based on how they follow the "rules" set up by the gender binary.
In this workbook, we treat femininity and masculinity as collections of traits, behaviours, interests, etc., that any child or adult is capable of having.
In other words, when we use the term "femininity," it's not specific to girls or women — because everyone can be feminine, whether they are men or nonbinary people, no matter their assigned sex at birth.
Let's see how these terms map out in real life…
Feeling overwhelmed by the terminology? For a quick reminder, check out the Glossary and remember that you can view key terms that appear on each pate at the top, under the “Glossary” tab!
© We Are Family, 2026
