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by fsckboy 1213 days ago
>gender is a psychological construct more than a biological one.

are you saying that psychology has something other than a biological basis?

>Are you confusing gender and sex?

American Heritage Dictionary usage note on this point:

Usage Note: Some people maintain that the word sex should be reserved for reference to the biological aspects of being male or female or to sexual activity, and that the word gender should be used only to refer to sociocultural roles. Accordingly, one would say The effectiveness of the treatment appears to depend on the sex of the patient and In society, gender roles are clearly defined. In some situations this distinction avoids ambiguity, as in gender research, which is clear in a way that sex research is not. The distinction can be problematic, however. Linguistically, there isn't any real difference between gender bias and sex bias, and it may seem contrived to insist that sex is incorrect in this instance.

source, and of course the definitions

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gender

https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=sex

1 comments

> are you saying that psychology has something other than a biological basis

Yes, yes, psychology is applied neurology is applied biology is applied chemistry is applied physics. And yet we have psychologists and neurologists and biologists and chemists and physicists and they all seem to believe they have different jobs.

Your quoted usage note is stating that the word “gender“ can mean the same thing as “sex” in certain contexts. Not that it can’t mean something different. And the context is quite clear from the surrounding discussion.

Playing pointless semantic games doesn’t buy you any points.

your statement doesn't make any point other than mine, but do you mean semantic games like saying that gender is different from sex?

the (Big) Five Factor model of personality (standard psychology) measures sex-based population (density) differences, and shows up across cultures.

Since you’re a fan of the dictionary, I am certain you will appreciate the following:

Merriam-Webster[1]:

> b: the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex

> c: GENDER IDENTITY

American Heritage Dictionary[2]:

> b. One's identity as female or male or as neither entirely female nor entirely male.

O.E.D.[3]:

> b. The state of being male or female as expressed by social or cultural distinctions and differences, rather than biological ones

[1]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gender

[2]: https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=gender

[3]: https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/77468

I don't like dictionaries, I like research.

Merriam-Webster 2018 says, sense 1 abc [gramatical gender] but sense 2 is all about sex.

>2a SEX ...

>2b the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex

http://web.archive.org/web/20181125203538/https://www.merria...

it doesn't mention gender identity, but gender identity is a perfectly good word for gender identity.

I don't have access to the OED here but I'm sure we'd see a similar timeline.