UNDERSTANDING

gender
Basic gender literacy is essential for children to understand
their own gender, engage in healthy relationships, identify and
place media and social messages in context, and have agency in
determining aspects of their gender now and in the future.
Societal ideas about gender will affect every critical aspect of
our lives.

A person’s gender is the

interrelationship between 3
dimensions:
body, identity and social
A person’s comfort in their gender is
related to the degree to which these
three dimensions feel in harmony.
When we feel harmony in our gender,
we are experiencing gender
congruence

Gender vs sexual orientation

In actuality, gender and sexual
orientation are two distinct, but
related, aspects of self. Gender is
personal (how we see ourselves),
while sexual orientation is
interpersonal (who we are
physically, emotionally and/or
romantically attracted to).

The power of language

The power of language to shape our perceptions of other
people is immense. Precise use of terms in regards to gender
can have a significant impact on demystifying many of the
misperceptions associated with gender.
Basically, it is important to be informed and use the
appropriate terms. However, the vocabulary of gender
continues to evolve and there is not universal agreement about
the definitions of many terms.

The way we see gender varies throughout generations. Those

who had a more restricted understanding of gender growing up
might use this as an opportunity to study it with new
perspectives, read about it, and ask questions to better
comprehend its complexity.

You will get more knowledge about the world around you and
about yourself as a result, just like with any learning
experience.

Julieta Bares - Lengua Inglesa IV