The difference between gender and sex is foreign to the majority of Georgian society. 'Gender' is a newer word in the Georgian language than 'sex'. Because of this many perceive them as synonymous with each other despite the significant differences.
Sex and gender refer to completely different characteristics of a person. First of all, sex includes human biological traits such as chromosomes, hormone levels, and reproductive system. Therefore, the difference between people according to sex is purely and only physiological. Most often people are divided between the two sexes - male and female - but this does not mean that there are only two sexes in nature. Sex is defined according to human physiology and there are many who do not fully fit the definition of man or woman. These people are called Intersex and represent 1.7% of the world's population. Given that there are more than 7 billion people living on Earth, the number of Intersex people is also in the tens of millions.
Often intersex people have different reproductive systems and sets of chromosomes. If we look at sex only in terms of chromosomes, there are a total of 6 sets of chromosomes: X, XX (known as female), XY (known as male), XXY, XYY, XXXY.
It is important to note that many people do not perceive sex as a permanent trait. As mentioned earlier, sex is made up of three components: chromosomes, hormones, and the reproductive system. Two of the three can be changed through surgery and hormone replacement therapy, which is why sex is variable for many people.
If sex is only a physical, biological set of characteristics, gender is socially constructed, it includes cultural roles and behaviors of people. Gender is assigned to people from birth, often according to their sex. Women and men have different roles to meet in society because of their gender. There is often an expectation that a woman should be gentle, caring, and feminine and a man should be strong, brave, and masculine. Gender roles not only apply to behaviors, but also to clothing, hobbies, work, and so on. All this is caused by the strict definitions of society, which hinders many people in life.
This modern strict gender division is associated with the introduction of capitalism. At the beginning of capitalism, both men and women worked outside the home, but with the development of capitalism, women were forced to return home because "the job was too difficult for a woman." Before capitalism, there was no such rough distinction between work and home, as household chores were also considered as work. It is from this difference that the development of gender roles begins, which we still understand in society today. For example, that "a woman should remain in the kitchen" and "a man should be the breadwinner of the family".
Gender differences start from childhood because society is accustomed to raising children in this made-up system. The two most common genders are - female and male - but there are people who do not fit into these two categories, transgender people. Because gender is often divided into two categories, it is viewed as a binary system (consisting of two parts). But in reality, gender should be considered as a spectrum (picture). Many people do not think that they fully satisfy the definition of "girl" or "boy" and feel better in other parts of the "gender spectrum". Also, many people do not think they were born in the “right” gender. Binary transgender people are those who choose to be considered as a boy instead of a girl, or vice versa. Binary transgender people are satisfied in these two categories - female and male. But there are also non-binary transgender people who do not consider themselves members of these two categories.
It is important to remember that transgender people are not an anomaly. They are just as much a part of society as any other human being. They do not want to spread 'transgender propaganda', as many Georgians believe, but want to lead a comfortable quiet life with a gender identity of their preference.
Author and Translator: Sal Mosiashvili
Editor: Mariam Beshidze