6 Reasons Why Gender Essentialism Needs To Go

Because having a vagina doesn't mean I was born to make you a sandwich (or even necessarily identify as a woman).

First thing's first...

Gender essentialism is the belief that biological sex determines your gender identity and, therefore, the roles of and relations between men and women occur naturally. According to some social psychologists, however, this ideology is unfounded. But not only that, it is harmful to everyone on the gender spectrum.

1. Gender is a social construct, anyway.

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Wait, whaaaaat?! Didn't you know? Gender is not biologically determined; in fact, it is mostly defined by society through gender role socialization and stereotypes. This includes what clothes you wear, what behaviors are socially acceptable, and what you're encouraged to learn in school.

2. Sex and gender do not always line up

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While most of people are cisgender and identify as men because they have a penis, or women because they have a vagina, this is not the case for everyone. There are more gender identities than cismen and ciswomen--a rainbow of genders, if you will. And yes, they are all valid and beautiful and flawless.

3. Gender stereotyping seriously sucks...

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What do you mean this kid can't flaunt it because he's a boy?! As I already said, gender roles are more socially constructed than they are biologically determined. Conventional ideas on masculinity and femininity are pretty toxic, anyway. Keep doing your thing, kiddo.

4. ...but especially for women

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We make less money, have less leadership positions, and suffer from higher rates of sexual violence because we are perceived as the inferior gender. This rings even more true for trans women, sadly.

So yeah, work toward gender equality and make me a sandwich, too.

5. The mere existence of intersex people.

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Intersex people--previously known as hermaphrodites--are individuals with ambiguous genitals, chromosomal makeup, or have the phenotypic traits of the other sex. This begs the question: if not even sex exists as a binary, how can gender?

6. It's just not nice or inclusive

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Gender essentialism harms individuals of all gender identities by restricting our actions and behaviors. For those who don't conform often have their entire existence denied by this ideology. If we can rid ourselves of gender essentialism, and expand our ideas of gender along the way, we can make the world a more welcoming and colorful place.