gender

Everyday

1. Gender is being a boy or a girl, a man or a woman, especially the roles and ideas people and societies connect with that; some people feel they are both, neither, or not the gender they were thought to be at birth. tree →
2. (grammar) In languages like French, German and Spanish, gender is the group a noun belongs to, such as masculine or feminine, which changes words like «the» and «a». tree →
3. On forms, gender is a box asking whether you are male, female or something else. tree →

In the lessons

In PSHE and relationships lessons, gender comes up when talking about fairness and stereotypes: any gender can like football, dancing, science or cooking. People and countries hold different views about gender identity; lessons ask pupils to be kind and respectful to everyone. In French lessons, «le» is masculine and «la» feminine; grammatical gender often has nothing to do with real boys and girls (a table is feminine in French). In English, gender shows in «he, she, his, her». Phrases: «gender stereotypes», «gender equality», «gender pay gap», «masculine/feminine gender».

Examples

• Any gender can be a scientist or a nurse. tree →
• Our class talked about gender stereotypes in toy adverts. tree →
• In French, every noun has a gender: «le livre», «la table». tree →
• The form asked for my name, age and gender. tree →
• Gender equality means girls and boys get the same chances. tree →
• In German there are three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. tree →
• Some people say gender and sex mean the same; others use gender for roles and identity. tree →
• [239] Kruchina, as an abstract idea, is of the feminine gender. tree →

Note

Countable when naming kinds (two genders in French), uncountable for the idea. Trap: grammatical gender (le/la) is about words, not about living things. People disagree about how to use the word «gender»; schools teach respect for others either way. «Sex» is the biological word.

In Jewish tradition

Here "gender" is old English meaning to breed or mate, so the verse forbids crossbreeding different kinds of animals.

Interpretation. Tradition counts this as one of the "chukim," laws about keeping kinds separate, along with not mixing seeds or wool and linen.

Examples

• Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. (Torah LEV.19.19, JPS 1917) tree →
• And the hoar-frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? (Writings JOB.38.29, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable when naming kinds (two genders in French), uncountable for the idea. Trap: grammatical gender (le/la) is about words, not about living things. People disagree about how to use the word «gender»; schools teach respect for others either way. «Sex» is the biological word.