How many genders are there really?

[VegasCAC]

I'm not an expert on gender theory, but from my understanding the general consensus is that "gender", or the roles certain sexes play and the identities we claim based on anatomy, is socially constructed, or man-made. Gender differs from sex in that it is not objectively tied to biology but rather is the sum of what society tells you about your biology and how you may and may not act with it. Gender is the demarcation that society makes between people who are biologically male and female.

From this understanding, the question of how many genders there are is wholly dependent on the society you live in. In some pre-Colombian Native American societies for example, there were 3 genders, and I'm sure there's other examples across the world.

So society decides.

Our society seems to have decided a long time ago that there are only two acceptable genders. Because the concept is socially constructed, in our world, for us, there seems to be only two.

Of course, one can have valid critiques of the 2-gender binary we have, but the fact is that by the nature of how gender is constructed in the world we live, there again, is only two.

I'm putting this out there only to get everyone's opinion: am I off here?

Tldr: Gender is socially constructed. Therefore how many genders there are is determined by what society says. Society says there are two, so there are two

 

[Cobratron]

To me, it will always be two. There is male and there is female. Anything else I roll my eyes at, but if people want to pretend there is more and they are something other than what they were born as, okay. Not a big deal to me.

 

[Uncle Hotep]

2

cmon man

 

[Meta Reign]

"Science."

I can't believe this is even a discussion.

 

[NobleDrewAli]

2. All that other trans gender bender shyt is make believe.

 

[JahFocus CS]

It is socially constructed and isn't even correlated to sex on a 1-to-1 basis (there are people born with sex organs of both sexes, what sex are they? What gender are they?).

Different societies throughout time have had different gender categories.

Not everyone fits into the binary and these people haven't gone anywhere, they were just swept under the rug and erased by society.

 

[ill]

Male, female, hermaphrodite. Anything else you're just making shyt up in your mind to make other people feel better about their irrationalities.

 

[Dafunkdoc_Unlimited]

There are 4: masculine, feminine, common, neuter

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[ill]

There are 4: masculine, feminine, common, neuter

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Those are qualities, not genders.

 

[acri1]

This doesn't have any real answer.


There are two biological sexes. Gender has no objective meaning outside of social interactions, so this is like asking how many political parties there are.

 

[Dafunkdoc_Unlimited]

Those are qualities, not genders.

Wrong, those are genders......for grammar.



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[Maschine_Man]

there are two genders...why is that so hard for ppl to accept? Shiiieeett...even most transsexuals can even see that.


If you grew up a man, but now see yourself as a woman....you still are identifying with the other gender.

Transexual isn't it's own gender, you are still buying in to the "social construct" of what gender is in society. Male to female or female to male doesn't matter as there are still only the two.


Also Hermaphrodites aren't natural, nor are they common. They have a disorder of sex development
Disorders of sex development - Wikipedia

Also, most hermaphrodites still fall in between on of the two genders.

 

[Scholar]

Honestly, if someone identifies outside of the two gender roles we have in society I have no problem at all with that and nor should I. Who am I to tell someone what gender they are and what benefit to society would that bring.

 

[the cac mamba]

there are two genders, male and female

there are 4 things a person can be, a straight man or woman or a gay man or woman

nothing else has any credibility, it's just self delusion or mental illness

 

[Black Panther]

Two.
Gender being a "social construct" does not itself make gender fluidity valid. :kanyebp:

It's even more crazy when you see people trying to use this idea in the bathroom debate. The bathroom is built for biological sex, not gender.

Nobody cares if you want to be a ladyboy. If you got male parts, go to the men's bathroom.