It is the 46th chromosome carried by the sperm that determines the sex: if it is an X chromosome, a girl will be born if Y is a boy. But not everything is so simple even at that stage of development, when cells can be counted on the fingers. Many people appear in the world who lack certain chromosomes or who have additional chromosomes. Female gender and masculine in nature play a particularly important genetic role.
Experts call this pathology polysemy. The most common is polysomy with one extra X chromosome in men: out of 1,000 boys, 2 to 3 are born with it. They have reduced testosterone production. Sometimes this leads to infertility, sometimes - to the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics by the female type, but quite often the bearer of the "extra" chromosome can not even suspect of it. There are also women who do not have a second X-chromosome - in adolescence, they are severely behind in their development from their peers - or appear superfluous.
According to the estimates of the American biologist Anne Fausto-Sterling, 1.7% of people are born with mixed sexual characteristics - it seems to be few, but in the total they are millions of people.
Fausto-Sterling named one of its popular works "Five Sexes: Why the division into men and women is incomplete." In her opinion, apart from males and females, it is necessary to isolate hermaphrodites, in which the signs of both sexes are equally divided (herm), or with the predominance of merm (merm) or feminine (ferm) functions and features. However, there existed these "extra floors" always: for example, ancient doctors who did not know anything about chromosomes, believed that in the womb of women there are three chambers - for bearing separate boys, girls and hermaphrodites. Female sex and masculine in nature are considered to be all people, but except for people - hermaphrodites.
However, even without chromosomal confusion, sex determination is a lengthy process. Formation of sex takes place in several stages, and complications are possible on each. In addition to the genetic sex, the gonadal (formed at the stage of differentiation of the gonads - internal genital organs), hormonal (depending on the hormonal background and the predominance of androgens or estrogens), somatic (determined by external sex characteristics) and civil (recorded in the birth certificate and other documents).
In addition, they also talk about the psychic field - a person's awareness of himself as a man or a woman, or a complex being with a predominance of certain features. Using the same right, they decide to change the sex (somatic and hormonal, as well as civil) transsexuals in order to harmonize physiology and inner self-awareness.
Tender for tender
Why has the opportunity to decide independently, to be a man or a woman, appeared recently? Perhaps, for two interrelated reasons. First, it is the transformation of the family model and the gradual erosion of the social roles of men and women. Secondly, artificial insemination and surrogate motherhood, not to mention adoption, allow the family to replenish single women and same-sex couples. Sex is no longer "fate predetermined by anatomy," as Sigmund Freud wrote. We have the opportunity to choose the model of behavior that seems comfortable to us, regardless of whether it is considered "male" or "female." And here is another kind of sex - the social sex, or the tender. Female gender and masculine in nature is significantly important.
Tender includes a set of behaviors that are inherent in men or women: "masculinity" or "femininity" in the very specific meaning of these words. Tender stereotypes vary depending on the moods that prevail in society. For example, in the European noble circles of the 18th century, the notion of masculinity included not only the ability to master a sword, but also the sap in the field of cosmetics and perfumery. Without realizing it, modern "new Amazons" can change their gender behavior several times during the day: at the wheel of a car in a traffic jam or at a working meeting they show very different, sometimes "unfeminine" qualities, rather than in a beauty salon or on a walk with a child. However, long ago doubts have been expressed that aggressiveness and authority are an essential part of "masculinity", and "femininity" is tenderness and frivolity.
There is also an average version of the social sex - bigender. It is inherent in people who feel themselves as a man, then as a woman, and, accordingly, changing behavior, a manner of speaking and even lexicon. Among young girls, especially representatives of informal subcultures, you can meet those who speak of themselves in the masculine ("I said", "I went"), not being neither transvestites nor lesbians. Female bigenderry rather emphasizes that we are not completely free from patriarchal culture: "Striving to speak and behave like a strong sex, women unconsciously choose a more attractive role for themselves, which in patriarchal society is a man."
We learn the models of gender behavior in childhood when we have an awareness of our gender. At this time, the learning begins with peculiarities inherent in the opinion of our parents, boys or girls: the first play car, the second - in dolls, the first one should not cry, the second - fight ... But besides the broadcast of gender stereotypes in words, parents raise their children personal an example that kids learn faster: "Since mom and dad behave this way, it means that it's right." After all, the mother in the representation of the child is the image of the Ideal Woman, and the father of the Ideal Man.
How can the gender identity of lesbians be formed? Such girls are often brought up in a family consisting of a powerful mother and a weak father, and adopt such a relationship model as the only possible one. Afterwards, they can try to get in touch with men, but since they transfer the model learned in their childhood to their own relationships, they often choose the same partners that their father was and are disappointed in men in general. We can understand a lot about ourselves and our ideas about the attitude of the sexes, if we recall what actions were shown to us by the father and mother, or other significant adults.
In fact , almost any behavior that breaks out of the stereotypical notions of "male" and "female" can be called "the third sex" - and its manifestations are much more than it may seem. Modernity does not require us to "be women" every second. Much more often we need to be just people. The world is moving towards a global awareness that the main thing is not what's between your legs, but what's between your ears.