Basic Sex Differences - Essay Example

Girls become interested in contact with feminist toys like dolls and Barbie. On the other hand, boys become deeply involved in playing with cars and games like ‘Army.’ However, this period usually lasts in pre-school years.

Some people confuse gender and gender identity with one another. So, it’s essential to understand both concepts clearly. First of all, gender deals with the biological identity of a person. Most people are of the view that gender identity always matches the biological of a person. However, it might be different in a particular condition. And this condition is particularly known as gender identity disorder. GID or gender identity disorder is a condition in which a person may feel a difference in his/ her biological identity and gender identity. Although it is a rare and atypical disorder it creates a lot of turmoil and depression for the victim and his parents. It is also important to mention why I used the term ‘his’. Lots of research and studies, after careful clinical analysis and evaluation of transgender individuals, show that most of them are boys. Gender identity disorder usually identifies when a child starts believing that he is the opposite and conflicting with his biological sex.

How does Gender Identity develop?
The development of gender identity is not a short process. It is a time-consuming long-term process that deals with and involves several other processes. Various biological factors interact that are combined with social and cognitive processes that occur over time. So, a structure develops that depends on different other factors. Remember, social factors always play a great role in the development of gender identity. These factors have a greater influence that cannot be overlooked. Medically speaking, we can see that until the second month of pregnancy or the prenatal period, there is no difference between the physical features of female and male fetuses. However, as development occurs and progresses during pregnancy, various other factors start influencing and playing their part. At that time these influences also increase the differences between genders.
It is also important to understand that the gender development process does not necessarily occur at sensitive or specific periods.