About this topic
Gender identity is the sense you have of your own gender: male, female, or neither. This may be the same or different than a persons physical gender or sex. Your physical sex is determined by your anatomy, chromosomes, and hormones. It is assigned to you when you are born and is based on your anatomy. Your gender identity is something you develop over time. You express gender by how you look, act, dress, and speak. ‚
Transgender means you are a person whose physical sex does not match your gender identity. Gender-queer people do not fully relate to either the male or female gender or may relate to both of them. It is important to know that your gender identity is about who you are. It does not decide to whom you are sexually attracted. This means your gender identity does not determine if you are straight, gay, or bisexual. ‚
General
People begin to get their gender identity at a very early age. Young children start to have a sense of being male or female by age 2 to 3. Around this time, children also start to think of the behaviors and roles of being male or female. By about age 5, many children have a strong sense of being a boy or a girl. If that sense does not match their assigned sex, they may be confused or have emotional problems. ‚
Here are some things you can do to help your child with gender identity development. ‚
- Encourage your child to be a part of activities they find interesting. Dont be overly concerned if your child's interests and strengths don't match their physical sex.
- Offer your child a wide range of toys. Be sure those toys reflect both genders and roles. Include dolls, action figures, trucks, dishes, and dress-up clothes for both boys and girls. Also, include toys like blocks, paint sets, and musical instruments.
- Read books about people in diverse gender roles. Help your child learn that jobs are not for just one gender. Men or women can stay at home and care for children. Both men and women can become a nurse or police officer. Construction work is done by both men and women. There are many other jobs for them to do.
- Encourage being a part of sports or do things that your child is interested in, even if most other children of the same gender are not involved.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Pediatrics ‚
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/pages/Gender-Identity-and-Gender-Confusion-In-Children.aspx ‚
American Psychological Association ‚
http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/transgender.pdf ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-11-05 ‚
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Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚