What is the difference between “gender” and “sex”?





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58















What is the difference between gender and sex? Wiktionary says that gender is The mental analog of sex but that's too high English for me.



Basically, I'm developing a web-application that stores people's profile along with a field for gender/sex. Which name would be more appropriate?



__



[UPDATE]



After getting these good answers, I can figure out that,





  1. Sex - Biological characteristics


  2. Gender - Social characteristics


And, well, for my web-application, I went with the term sex, as it sounds more scientific and less political. P.S. Values for sex are clearly defined and can be easily validated (only two values AFAIK* + an optional blank value).



* plus some anomalies.










share|improve this question






















  • 11





    I'd highly recommend reading xkcd's treatment of this exact issue.

    – fredley
    Mar 10 '11 at 14:37






  • 25





    "Sex is between the legs; Gender is between the ears."

    – Yahel
    Mar 10 '11 at 16:03






  • 3





    @fredley: that's another perfect example of the excessive request of political correctness which goes around these days... if everyone learned to take it easier the world would be a better place.

    – nico
    Apr 28 '11 at 6:08








  • 4





    @nico It's not about political correctness at all, it's a classification problem. Most places attempt to classify everyone as 'man' or 'woman', when it's a lot more complex than that for a significant number of people. IMO xkcd's take was perfect for the experiment they were running.

    – fredley
    Apr 28 '11 at 9:07






  • 3





    @fredley - I particularly liked this line: The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.

    – T.E.D.
    Aug 26 '11 at 13:17


















58















What is the difference between gender and sex? Wiktionary says that gender is The mental analog of sex but that's too high English for me.



Basically, I'm developing a web-application that stores people's profile along with a field for gender/sex. Which name would be more appropriate?



__



[UPDATE]



After getting these good answers, I can figure out that,





  1. Sex - Biological characteristics


  2. Gender - Social characteristics


And, well, for my web-application, I went with the term sex, as it sounds more scientific and less political. P.S. Values for sex are clearly defined and can be easily validated (only two values AFAIK* + an optional blank value).



* plus some anomalies.










share|improve this question






















  • 11





    I'd highly recommend reading xkcd's treatment of this exact issue.

    – fredley
    Mar 10 '11 at 14:37






  • 25





    "Sex is between the legs; Gender is between the ears."

    – Yahel
    Mar 10 '11 at 16:03






  • 3





    @fredley: that's another perfect example of the excessive request of political correctness which goes around these days... if everyone learned to take it easier the world would be a better place.

    – nico
    Apr 28 '11 at 6:08








  • 4





    @nico It's not about political correctness at all, it's a classification problem. Most places attempt to classify everyone as 'man' or 'woman', when it's a lot more complex than that for a significant number of people. IMO xkcd's take was perfect for the experiment they were running.

    – fredley
    Apr 28 '11 at 9:07






  • 3





    @fredley - I particularly liked this line: The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.

    – T.E.D.
    Aug 26 '11 at 13:17














58












58








58


6






What is the difference between gender and sex? Wiktionary says that gender is The mental analog of sex but that's too high English for me.



Basically, I'm developing a web-application that stores people's profile along with a field for gender/sex. Which name would be more appropriate?



__



[UPDATE]



After getting these good answers, I can figure out that,





  1. Sex - Biological characteristics


  2. Gender - Social characteristics


And, well, for my web-application, I went with the term sex, as it sounds more scientific and less political. P.S. Values for sex are clearly defined and can be easily validated (only two values AFAIK* + an optional blank value).



* plus some anomalies.










share|improve this question
















What is the difference between gender and sex? Wiktionary says that gender is The mental analog of sex but that's too high English for me.



Basically, I'm developing a web-application that stores people's profile along with a field for gender/sex. Which name would be more appropriate?



__



[UPDATE]



After getting these good answers, I can figure out that,





  1. Sex - Biological characteristics


  2. Gender - Social characteristics


And, well, for my web-application, I went with the term sex, as it sounds more scientific and less political. P.S. Values for sex are clearly defined and can be easily validated (only two values AFAIK* + an optional blank value).



* plus some anomalies.







meaning differences nouns sex-vs-gender






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Jul 15 '15 at 10:18







Vikrant Chaudhary

















asked Mar 10 '11 at 4:36









Vikrant ChaudharyVikrant Chaudhary

3931 gold badge3 silver badges8 bronze badges




3931 gold badge3 silver badges8 bronze badges











  • 11





    I'd highly recommend reading xkcd's treatment of this exact issue.

    – fredley
    Mar 10 '11 at 14:37






  • 25





    "Sex is between the legs; Gender is between the ears."

    – Yahel
    Mar 10 '11 at 16:03






  • 3





    @fredley: that's another perfect example of the excessive request of political correctness which goes around these days... if everyone learned to take it easier the world would be a better place.

    – nico
    Apr 28 '11 at 6:08








  • 4





    @nico It's not about political correctness at all, it's a classification problem. Most places attempt to classify everyone as 'man' or 'woman', when it's a lot more complex than that for a significant number of people. IMO xkcd's take was perfect for the experiment they were running.

    – fredley
    Apr 28 '11 at 9:07






  • 3





    @fredley - I particularly liked this line: The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.

    – T.E.D.
    Aug 26 '11 at 13:17














  • 11





    I'd highly recommend reading xkcd's treatment of this exact issue.

    – fredley
    Mar 10 '11 at 14:37






  • 25





    "Sex is between the legs; Gender is between the ears."

    – Yahel
    Mar 10 '11 at 16:03






  • 3





    @fredley: that's another perfect example of the excessive request of political correctness which goes around these days... if everyone learned to take it easier the world would be a better place.

    – nico
    Apr 28 '11 at 6:08








  • 4





    @nico It's not about political correctness at all, it's a classification problem. Most places attempt to classify everyone as 'man' or 'woman', when it's a lot more complex than that for a significant number of people. IMO xkcd's take was perfect for the experiment they were running.

    – fredley
    Apr 28 '11 at 9:07






  • 3





    @fredley - I particularly liked this line: The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.

    – T.E.D.
    Aug 26 '11 at 13:17








11




11





I'd highly recommend reading xkcd's treatment of this exact issue.

– fredley
Mar 10 '11 at 14:37





I'd highly recommend reading xkcd's treatment of this exact issue.

– fredley
Mar 10 '11 at 14:37




25




25





"Sex is between the legs; Gender is between the ears."

– Yahel
Mar 10 '11 at 16:03





"Sex is between the legs; Gender is between the ears."

– Yahel
Mar 10 '11 at 16:03




3




3





@fredley: that's another perfect example of the excessive request of political correctness which goes around these days... if everyone learned to take it easier the world would be a better place.

– nico
Apr 28 '11 at 6:08







@fredley: that's another perfect example of the excessive request of political correctness which goes around these days... if everyone learned to take it easier the world would be a better place.

– nico
Apr 28 '11 at 6:08






4




4





@nico It's not about political correctness at all, it's a classification problem. Most places attempt to classify everyone as 'man' or 'woman', when it's a lot more complex than that for a significant number of people. IMO xkcd's take was perfect for the experiment they were running.

– fredley
Apr 28 '11 at 9:07





@nico It's not about political correctness at all, it's a classification problem. Most places attempt to classify everyone as 'man' or 'woman', when it's a lot more complex than that for a significant number of people. IMO xkcd's take was perfect for the experiment they were running.

– fredley
Apr 28 '11 at 9:07




3




3





@fredley - I particularly liked this line: The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.

– T.E.D.
Aug 26 '11 at 13:17





@fredley - I particularly liked this line: The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.

– T.E.D.
Aug 26 '11 at 13:17










10 Answers
10






active

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38
















According to APA style, "gender" refers to culture and should be used when referring to men and women as social groups, while "sex" refers to biology and should be used when biological distinctions are emphasized.






share|improve this answer




























  • Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

    – user0939
    Mar 22 '17 at 5:38











  • @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

    – HaL
    Mar 28 '17 at 23:16













  • Well, the link broke again.

    – Laurel
    Jan 31 at 7:13



















20
















There's a lot of foofarah coming from people in the GLBT communities trying to establish a difference of meaning between these two words that are, in ordinary usage, completely synonymous.



Wiktionary's definition is trying to reinforce that distinction by saying, essentially, that "sex" is what physical parts you have, while "gender" is what sexual category you think you should belong to; thus allowing for males who wish they were females to claim that their sex is male but their gender is female.



For your web application, you can use whichever one you feel is more appropriate. Personally I recommend "sex" because it's only 3 letters long, saving you some keystrokes if you reference the field a lot. :-)






share|improve this answer





















  • 9





    It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

    – horatio
    Mar 10 '11 at 15:07













  • @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

    – Agos
    Mar 10 '11 at 15:15






  • 4





    @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

    – horatio
    Mar 10 '11 at 15:19






  • 17





    You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

    – Kosmonaut
    Mar 25 '11 at 18:56





















14
















The NOAD defines gender as "the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)."



A further note in the dictionary reports that:




The word gender has been used since the 14th century primarily as a grammatical term, referring to the classes of noun in Latin, Greek, German, and other languages designated as masculine, feminine, or neuter. It has also been used since the 14th century in the sense "the state of being male or female," but this did not become a common standard use until the mid 20th century. Although the words gender and sex both have the sense "the state of being male or female," they are typically used in slightly different ways: sex tends to refer to biological differences, while gender tends to refer to cultural or social ones.







share|improve this answer

































    14
















    In this context, I prefer to see the word gender as the label with the two choices offered as alternatives, which makes the meaning quite clear.

    Although both have an equivalent meaning in this context, I find gender to be more polite as it cannot be confused with intercourse which is an alternative meaning for sex.

    i.e. Two people would not have gender with each other, but they might have sex.






    share|improve this answer























    • 16





      But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

      – Konrad Rudolph
      Mar 10 '11 at 16:47






    • 1





      @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

      – crowne
      Mar 10 '11 at 19:14








    • 4





      This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

      – Uticensis
      Mar 16 '11 at 4:20








    • 1





      @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

      – Jay
      Jan 3 '12 at 5:04



















    6
















    Male and female are sexes, while masculine and feminine are genders. Sexes are nouns -- "I am a male, my wife is a female". Genders are adjectives -- "She has a masculine voice".



    You can, of course, say "She has a male voice", but it means something subtly different. "She has a masculine voice" means her voice shares some of the characteristics we associate with being a man. "She has a male voice" means that her voice is in fact a man's voice. (Though it would certainly be interpreted metaphorically.)






    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

      – user64964
      Feb 6 '14 at 14:17











    • Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

      – user0939
      Mar 22 '17 at 5:41











    • @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

      – David Schwartz
      Mar 22 '17 at 17:54



















    3
















    Sex and gender are two words used interchangeably. Sex refers to the the biological distinction between females and males, which is closely related to reproduction, while gender refers to the social attributes and opportunity associated with being female and male.






    share|improve this answer























    • 2





      You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

      – user0939
      Mar 22 '17 at 5:43





















    2
















    Sex refers to the physical sexual organ parts that a human being has. Gender on the other hand refers to the sexuality that a person identifies themselves with.



    The choice of term used probably would not matter to a majority of the users, but it is a big deal for certain people. For instance, deviantART used to offer three choices on their user profile field - male, female, and 'unspecified'. They removed the last option in 2010 and it caused widespread outrage among a subset of users, with vocal calls for boycotting deviantART too.



    Since listing a range of choices under 'gender' itself can be topic of contention (e.g., what if you 'miss out' a certain gender identity in the list?), one way some web application developers get out of this is by offering an "I do not prefer to say" or "Unspecified" option under a sex field.






    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

      – Blorgbeard
      Mar 10 '11 at 11:23






    • 6





      Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

      – Omar Kooheji
      Mar 10 '11 at 11:50






    • 2





      @omar, isn't it?

      – the JinX
      Mar 10 '11 at 14:08






    • 5





      I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

      – Dan
      Mar 10 '11 at 14:29






    • 1





      @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

      – Blorgbeard
      Mar 11 '11 at 10:42



















    2
















    Well, if your app is going to be used worldwide, then the choice that you make could potentially have a huge impact. Have you heard of the third gender? Some countries such as Pakistan have officially recognised a third gender amogst their people. The idea may sound bizarre to some western ears, but that's the world for you.



    If you are interested in recording biological characteristics, use "sex". If you are interested in social ones, use "gender". Everything else is silly political correctness or plain misinformation.






    share|improve this answer

































      1
















      Isn't "gender" referring to two separate ideas: 1. the biological one (=sex) 2. the technical term in sociology, so you can of course use it synonymously with sex?






      share|improve this answer

































        0
















        There are lots of answers, but I'd like to add mine in here, because I strongly disagree with most of the others. The current usage for the younger generations is precisely the reverse of that of our grandparents. @yc01 sums it up well, by putting it exactly backwards to how it used to be just a little while ago. It used to be (and I would go still with this) that sex is a social term, and way of referring to people, whereas gender is the scientific word, the sort of thing used to describe lab rats or people you're dissecting, or a taxonomy on some government paperwork. I avoid referring to someone's gender; it can be a slightly horrid, impersonal word.






        share|improve this answer























        • 1





          Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

          – MrHen
          May 23 '11 at 19:51











        • Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

          – Nicholas Wilson
          May 23 '11 at 20:08











        • What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

          – Mitch
          May 23 '11 at 21:40











        • Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

          – Nicholas Wilson
          May 23 '11 at 23:40











        • I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

          – Nicholas Wilson
          May 23 '11 at 23:43











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        10 Answers
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        38
















        According to APA style, "gender" refers to culture and should be used when referring to men and women as social groups, while "sex" refers to biology and should be used when biological distinctions are emphasized.






        share|improve this answer




























        • Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

          – user0939
          Mar 22 '17 at 5:38











        • @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

          – HaL
          Mar 28 '17 at 23:16













        • Well, the link broke again.

          – Laurel
          Jan 31 at 7:13
















        38
















        According to APA style, "gender" refers to culture and should be used when referring to men and women as social groups, while "sex" refers to biology and should be used when biological distinctions are emphasized.






        share|improve this answer




























        • Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

          – user0939
          Mar 22 '17 at 5:38











        • @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

          – HaL
          Mar 28 '17 at 23:16













        • Well, the link broke again.

          – Laurel
          Jan 31 at 7:13














        38














        38










        38









        According to APA style, "gender" refers to culture and should be used when referring to men and women as social groups, while "sex" refers to biology and should be used when biological distinctions are emphasized.






        share|improve this answer















        According to APA style, "gender" refers to culture and should be used when referring to men and women as social groups, while "sex" refers to biology and should be used when biological distinctions are emphasized.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited May 27 at 20:06









        daaawx

        1031 silver badge3 bronze badges




        1031 silver badge3 bronze badges










        answered Mar 10 '11 at 4:46









        HaLHaL

        8,0391 gold badge29 silver badges35 bronze badges




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        • Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

          – user0939
          Mar 22 '17 at 5:38











        • @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

          – HaL
          Mar 28 '17 at 23:16













        • Well, the link broke again.

          – Laurel
          Jan 31 at 7:13



















        • Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

          – user0939
          Mar 22 '17 at 5:38











        • @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

          – HaL
          Mar 28 '17 at 23:16













        • Well, the link broke again.

          – Laurel
          Jan 31 at 7:13

















        Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

        – user0939
        Mar 22 '17 at 5:38





        Your link is broken. Do you have another objective source?

        – user0939
        Mar 22 '17 at 5:38













        @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

        – HaL
        Mar 28 '17 at 23:16







        @user0939 Thanks for pointing that out. Link updated. If anyone possesses a physical copy of APA style guidelines, this is from APA, 2001, p. 63.

        – HaL
        Mar 28 '17 at 23:16















        Well, the link broke again.

        – Laurel
        Jan 31 at 7:13





        Well, the link broke again.

        – Laurel
        Jan 31 at 7:13













        20
















        There's a lot of foofarah coming from people in the GLBT communities trying to establish a difference of meaning between these two words that are, in ordinary usage, completely synonymous.



        Wiktionary's definition is trying to reinforce that distinction by saying, essentially, that "sex" is what physical parts you have, while "gender" is what sexual category you think you should belong to; thus allowing for males who wish they were females to claim that their sex is male but their gender is female.



        For your web application, you can use whichever one you feel is more appropriate. Personally I recommend "sex" because it's only 3 letters long, saving you some keystrokes if you reference the field a lot. :-)






        share|improve this answer





















        • 9





          It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:07













        • @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

          – Agos
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:15






        • 4





          @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:19






        • 17





          You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

          – Kosmonaut
          Mar 25 '11 at 18:56


















        20
















        There's a lot of foofarah coming from people in the GLBT communities trying to establish a difference of meaning between these two words that are, in ordinary usage, completely synonymous.



        Wiktionary's definition is trying to reinforce that distinction by saying, essentially, that "sex" is what physical parts you have, while "gender" is what sexual category you think you should belong to; thus allowing for males who wish they were females to claim that their sex is male but their gender is female.



        For your web application, you can use whichever one you feel is more appropriate. Personally I recommend "sex" because it's only 3 letters long, saving you some keystrokes if you reference the field a lot. :-)






        share|improve this answer





















        • 9





          It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:07













        • @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

          – Agos
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:15






        • 4





          @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:19






        • 17





          You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

          – Kosmonaut
          Mar 25 '11 at 18:56
















        20














        20










        20









        There's a lot of foofarah coming from people in the GLBT communities trying to establish a difference of meaning between these two words that are, in ordinary usage, completely synonymous.



        Wiktionary's definition is trying to reinforce that distinction by saying, essentially, that "sex" is what physical parts you have, while "gender" is what sexual category you think you should belong to; thus allowing for males who wish they were females to claim that their sex is male but their gender is female.



        For your web application, you can use whichever one you feel is more appropriate. Personally I recommend "sex" because it's only 3 letters long, saving you some keystrokes if you reference the field a lot. :-)






        share|improve this answer













        There's a lot of foofarah coming from people in the GLBT communities trying to establish a difference of meaning between these two words that are, in ordinary usage, completely synonymous.



        Wiktionary's definition is trying to reinforce that distinction by saying, essentially, that "sex" is what physical parts you have, while "gender" is what sexual category you think you should belong to; thus allowing for males who wish they were females to claim that their sex is male but their gender is female.



        For your web application, you can use whichever one you feel is more appropriate. Personally I recommend "sex" because it's only 3 letters long, saving you some keystrokes if you reference the field a lot. :-)







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Mar 10 '11 at 4:52









        HellionHellion

        55.9k15 gold badges113 silver badges202 bronze badges




        55.9k15 gold badges113 silver badges202 bronze badges











        • 9





          It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:07













        • @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

          – Agos
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:15






        • 4





          @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:19






        • 17





          You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

          – Kosmonaut
          Mar 25 '11 at 18:56
















        • 9





          It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:07













        • @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

          – Agos
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:15






        • 4





          @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

          – horatio
          Mar 10 '11 at 15:19






        • 17





          You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

          – Kosmonaut
          Mar 25 '11 at 18:56










        9




        9





        It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

        – horatio
        Mar 10 '11 at 15:07







        It is also easy to type with one hand! Hellion's advice is sound, but he has glossed over (slightly) the reality of XXY and XYY individuals which is not a social construct. Many people have no idea such individuals exist.

        – horatio
        Mar 10 '11 at 15:07















        @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

        – Agos
        Mar 10 '11 at 15:15





        @horatio I think those cases can be covered by providing appropriate choices in the form, rather than changing the label of the field.

        – Agos
        Mar 10 '11 at 15:15




        4




        4





        @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

        – horatio
        Mar 10 '11 at 15:19





        @agos: My point was that many people who design forms don't know those choices exist, rather than trying to make any point about form design.

        – horatio
        Mar 10 '11 at 15:19




        17




        17





        You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

        – Kosmonaut
        Mar 25 '11 at 18:56







        You may find it interesting to know that originally these two words were not synonymous; in fact, gender comes from Latin genus meaning "type/kind". It was applied to grammar to refer to grammatical gender, which often includes a sex distinction, but doesn't always (some languages having even a dozen genders). Because some widespread languages have masculine and feminine gender only, the word gender managed to become a synonym for "sex". If it's changed this much already, why not modify gender even further?

        – Kosmonaut
        Mar 25 '11 at 18:56













        14
















        The NOAD defines gender as "the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)."



        A further note in the dictionary reports that:




        The word gender has been used since the 14th century primarily as a grammatical term, referring to the classes of noun in Latin, Greek, German, and other languages designated as masculine, feminine, or neuter. It has also been used since the 14th century in the sense "the state of being male or female," but this did not become a common standard use until the mid 20th century. Although the words gender and sex both have the sense "the state of being male or female," they are typically used in slightly different ways: sex tends to refer to biological differences, while gender tends to refer to cultural or social ones.







        share|improve this answer






























          14
















          The NOAD defines gender as "the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)."



          A further note in the dictionary reports that:




          The word gender has been used since the 14th century primarily as a grammatical term, referring to the classes of noun in Latin, Greek, German, and other languages designated as masculine, feminine, or neuter. It has also been used since the 14th century in the sense "the state of being male or female," but this did not become a common standard use until the mid 20th century. Although the words gender and sex both have the sense "the state of being male or female," they are typically used in slightly different ways: sex tends to refer to biological differences, while gender tends to refer to cultural or social ones.







          share|improve this answer




























            14














            14










            14









            The NOAD defines gender as "the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)."



            A further note in the dictionary reports that:




            The word gender has been used since the 14th century primarily as a grammatical term, referring to the classes of noun in Latin, Greek, German, and other languages designated as masculine, feminine, or neuter. It has also been used since the 14th century in the sense "the state of being male or female," but this did not become a common standard use until the mid 20th century. Although the words gender and sex both have the sense "the state of being male or female," they are typically used in slightly different ways: sex tends to refer to biological differences, while gender tends to refer to cultural or social ones.







            share|improve this answer













            The NOAD defines gender as "the state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones)."



            A further note in the dictionary reports that:




            The word gender has been used since the 14th century primarily as a grammatical term, referring to the classes of noun in Latin, Greek, German, and other languages designated as masculine, feminine, or neuter. It has also been used since the 14th century in the sense "the state of being male or female," but this did not become a common standard use until the mid 20th century. Although the words gender and sex both have the sense "the state of being male or female," they are typically used in slightly different ways: sex tends to refer to biological differences, while gender tends to refer to cultural or social ones.








            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Mar 10 '11 at 5:34









            kiamlalunokiamlaluno

            44.6k58 gold badges187 silver badges303 bronze badges




            44.6k58 gold badges187 silver badges303 bronze badges


























                14
















                In this context, I prefer to see the word gender as the label with the two choices offered as alternatives, which makes the meaning quite clear.

                Although both have an equivalent meaning in this context, I find gender to be more polite as it cannot be confused with intercourse which is an alternative meaning for sex.

                i.e. Two people would not have gender with each other, but they might have sex.






                share|improve this answer























                • 16





                  But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

                  – Konrad Rudolph
                  Mar 10 '11 at 16:47






                • 1





                  @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

                  – crowne
                  Mar 10 '11 at 19:14








                • 4





                  This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

                  – Uticensis
                  Mar 16 '11 at 4:20








                • 1





                  @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

                  – Jay
                  Jan 3 '12 at 5:04
















                14
















                In this context, I prefer to see the word gender as the label with the two choices offered as alternatives, which makes the meaning quite clear.

                Although both have an equivalent meaning in this context, I find gender to be more polite as it cannot be confused with intercourse which is an alternative meaning for sex.

                i.e. Two people would not have gender with each other, but they might have sex.






                share|improve this answer























                • 16





                  But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

                  – Konrad Rudolph
                  Mar 10 '11 at 16:47






                • 1





                  @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

                  – crowne
                  Mar 10 '11 at 19:14








                • 4





                  This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

                  – Uticensis
                  Mar 16 '11 at 4:20








                • 1





                  @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

                  – Jay
                  Jan 3 '12 at 5:04














                14














                14










                14









                In this context, I prefer to see the word gender as the label with the two choices offered as alternatives, which makes the meaning quite clear.

                Although both have an equivalent meaning in this context, I find gender to be more polite as it cannot be confused with intercourse which is an alternative meaning for sex.

                i.e. Two people would not have gender with each other, but they might have sex.






                share|improve this answer















                In this context, I prefer to see the word gender as the label with the two choices offered as alternatives, which makes the meaning quite clear.

                Although both have an equivalent meaning in this context, I find gender to be more polite as it cannot be confused with intercourse which is an alternative meaning for sex.

                i.e. Two people would not have gender with each other, but they might have sex.







                share|improve this answer














                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer








                edited Mar 10 '11 at 8:43

























                answered Mar 10 '11 at 8:03









                crownecrowne

                5402 silver badges6 bronze badges




                5402 silver badges6 bronze badges











                • 16





                  But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

                  – Konrad Rudolph
                  Mar 10 '11 at 16:47






                • 1





                  @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

                  – crowne
                  Mar 10 '11 at 19:14








                • 4





                  This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

                  – Uticensis
                  Mar 16 '11 at 4:20








                • 1





                  @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

                  – Jay
                  Jan 3 '12 at 5:04














                • 16





                  But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

                  – Konrad Rudolph
                  Mar 10 '11 at 16:47






                • 1





                  @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

                  – crowne
                  Mar 10 '11 at 19:14








                • 4





                  This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

                  – Uticensis
                  Mar 16 '11 at 4:20








                • 1





                  @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

                  – Jay
                  Jan 3 '12 at 5:04








                16




                16





                But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

                – Konrad Rudolph
                Mar 10 '11 at 16:47





                But then I can’t answer “yes please”. On a more serious note, preferring “gender” to “sex” because of its connotations is even more childish than my joke.

                – Konrad Rudolph
                Mar 10 '11 at 16:47




                1




                1





                @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

                – crowne
                Mar 10 '11 at 19:14







                @Konrad Some people take it to be vulgar, and if it appears on a web application it might well find itself in childish company.

                – crowne
                Mar 10 '11 at 19:14






                4




                4





                This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

                – Uticensis
                Mar 16 '11 at 4:20







                This is why I hate discussing this question, in any forum. This answer was voted up for political reasons. It's what people of certain political positions want to hear, and they voted it up despite the fact that this answer makes a puerile and frankly nonsensical issue about people supposedly confusing the biological sense of sex for intercourse in everyday contexts, in web forms no less. I mean, really? I guess some people want the "right" answer instead of a "good" one.

                – Uticensis
                Mar 16 '11 at 4:20






                1




                1





                @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

                – Jay
                Jan 3 '12 at 5:04





                @Billare: No, Crowne doesn't mean that people would be likely to honestly misunderstand the question, but rather that some people find certain words offensive or uncomfortable. If you had a reason to ask for ethnic background, would you include a choice of "African-American" or would you use the n-word? If you wouldn't use the latter, is that because you think people would be confused whether it referred to black people or to Irishmen? Or because some people find it offensive? "Sex" is a relatively inoffensive word, but it makes some people uncomfortable because of the double meaning.

                – Jay
                Jan 3 '12 at 5:04











                6
















                Male and female are sexes, while masculine and feminine are genders. Sexes are nouns -- "I am a male, my wife is a female". Genders are adjectives -- "She has a masculine voice".



                You can, of course, say "She has a male voice", but it means something subtly different. "She has a masculine voice" means her voice shares some of the characteristics we associate with being a man. "She has a male voice" means that her voice is in fact a man's voice. (Though it would certainly be interpreted metaphorically.)






                share|improve this answer





















                • 1





                  Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

                  – user64964
                  Feb 6 '14 at 14:17











                • Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:41











                • @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

                  – David Schwartz
                  Mar 22 '17 at 17:54
















                6
















                Male and female are sexes, while masculine and feminine are genders. Sexes are nouns -- "I am a male, my wife is a female". Genders are adjectives -- "She has a masculine voice".



                You can, of course, say "She has a male voice", but it means something subtly different. "She has a masculine voice" means her voice shares some of the characteristics we associate with being a man. "She has a male voice" means that her voice is in fact a man's voice. (Though it would certainly be interpreted metaphorically.)






                share|improve this answer





















                • 1





                  Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

                  – user64964
                  Feb 6 '14 at 14:17











                • Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:41











                • @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

                  – David Schwartz
                  Mar 22 '17 at 17:54














                6














                6










                6









                Male and female are sexes, while masculine and feminine are genders. Sexes are nouns -- "I am a male, my wife is a female". Genders are adjectives -- "She has a masculine voice".



                You can, of course, say "She has a male voice", but it means something subtly different. "She has a masculine voice" means her voice shares some of the characteristics we associate with being a man. "She has a male voice" means that her voice is in fact a man's voice. (Though it would certainly be interpreted metaphorically.)






                share|improve this answer













                Male and female are sexes, while masculine and feminine are genders. Sexes are nouns -- "I am a male, my wife is a female". Genders are adjectives -- "She has a masculine voice".



                You can, of course, say "She has a male voice", but it means something subtly different. "She has a masculine voice" means her voice shares some of the characteristics we associate with being a man. "She has a male voice" means that her voice is in fact a man's voice. (Though it would certainly be interpreted metaphorically.)







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered Aug 26 '11 at 12:37









                David SchwartzDavid Schwartz

                9,3622 gold badges30 silver badges39 bronze badges




                9,3622 gold badges30 silver badges39 bronze badges











                • 1





                  Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

                  – user64964
                  Feb 6 '14 at 14:17











                • Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:41











                • @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

                  – David Schwartz
                  Mar 22 '17 at 17:54














                • 1





                  Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

                  – user64964
                  Feb 6 '14 at 14:17











                • Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:41











                • @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

                  – David Schwartz
                  Mar 22 '17 at 17:54








                1




                1





                Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

                – user64964
                Feb 6 '14 at 14:17





                Gender can be masculine, feminine, neuter, or common.

                – user64964
                Feb 6 '14 at 14:17













                Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

                – user0939
                Mar 22 '17 at 5:41





                Do you have any sources for this information? Or is this your personal opinion?

                – user0939
                Mar 22 '17 at 5:41













                @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

                – David Schwartz
                Mar 22 '17 at 17:54





                @user0939 Can you be specific about what you want a source for? I say a lot of things and they all have different sources. Mostly, it's common knowledge you can verify with a dictionary. For example, "sex" is typically defined as "either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions". And so on.

                – David Schwartz
                Mar 22 '17 at 17:54











                3
















                Sex and gender are two words used interchangeably. Sex refers to the the biological distinction between females and males, which is closely related to reproduction, while gender refers to the social attributes and opportunity associated with being female and male.






                share|improve this answer























                • 2





                  You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:43


















                3
















                Sex and gender are two words used interchangeably. Sex refers to the the biological distinction between females and males, which is closely related to reproduction, while gender refers to the social attributes and opportunity associated with being female and male.






                share|improve this answer























                • 2





                  You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:43
















                3














                3










                3









                Sex and gender are two words used interchangeably. Sex refers to the the biological distinction between females and males, which is closely related to reproduction, while gender refers to the social attributes and opportunity associated with being female and male.






                share|improve this answer















                Sex and gender are two words used interchangeably. Sex refers to the the biological distinction between females and males, which is closely related to reproduction, while gender refers to the social attributes and opportunity associated with being female and male.







                share|improve this answer














                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer








                edited Apr 28 '11 at 16:21









                Uticensis

                13.4k64 gold badges133 silver badges231 bronze badges




                13.4k64 gold badges133 silver badges231 bronze badges










                answered Apr 28 '11 at 5:52









                NARTEY THERESA MAMLENARTEY THERESA MAMLE

                391 bronze badge




                391 bronze badge











                • 2





                  You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:43
















                • 2





                  You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

                  – user0939
                  Mar 22 '17 at 5:43










                2




                2





                You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

                – user0939
                Mar 22 '17 at 5:43







                You say the words are interchangeable —which suggests there is no difference. Then you proceed to describe the difference. This confuses me.

                – user0939
                Mar 22 '17 at 5:43













                2
















                Sex refers to the physical sexual organ parts that a human being has. Gender on the other hand refers to the sexuality that a person identifies themselves with.



                The choice of term used probably would not matter to a majority of the users, but it is a big deal for certain people. For instance, deviantART used to offer three choices on their user profile field - male, female, and 'unspecified'. They removed the last option in 2010 and it caused widespread outrage among a subset of users, with vocal calls for boycotting deviantART too.



                Since listing a range of choices under 'gender' itself can be topic of contention (e.g., what if you 'miss out' a certain gender identity in the list?), one way some web application developers get out of this is by offering an "I do not prefer to say" or "Unspecified" option under a sex field.






                share|improve this answer





















                • 1





                  Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:23






                • 6





                  Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

                  – Omar Kooheji
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:50






                • 2





                  @omar, isn't it?

                  – the JinX
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:08






                • 5





                  I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

                  – Dan
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:29






                • 1





                  @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 11 '11 at 10:42
















                2
















                Sex refers to the physical sexual organ parts that a human being has. Gender on the other hand refers to the sexuality that a person identifies themselves with.



                The choice of term used probably would not matter to a majority of the users, but it is a big deal for certain people. For instance, deviantART used to offer three choices on their user profile field - male, female, and 'unspecified'. They removed the last option in 2010 and it caused widespread outrage among a subset of users, with vocal calls for boycotting deviantART too.



                Since listing a range of choices under 'gender' itself can be topic of contention (e.g., what if you 'miss out' a certain gender identity in the list?), one way some web application developers get out of this is by offering an "I do not prefer to say" or "Unspecified" option under a sex field.






                share|improve this answer





















                • 1





                  Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:23






                • 6





                  Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

                  – Omar Kooheji
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:50






                • 2





                  @omar, isn't it?

                  – the JinX
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:08






                • 5





                  I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

                  – Dan
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:29






                • 1





                  @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 11 '11 at 10:42














                2














                2










                2









                Sex refers to the physical sexual organ parts that a human being has. Gender on the other hand refers to the sexuality that a person identifies themselves with.



                The choice of term used probably would not matter to a majority of the users, but it is a big deal for certain people. For instance, deviantART used to offer three choices on their user profile field - male, female, and 'unspecified'. They removed the last option in 2010 and it caused widespread outrage among a subset of users, with vocal calls for boycotting deviantART too.



                Since listing a range of choices under 'gender' itself can be topic of contention (e.g., what if you 'miss out' a certain gender identity in the list?), one way some web application developers get out of this is by offering an "I do not prefer to say" or "Unspecified" option under a sex field.






                share|improve this answer













                Sex refers to the physical sexual organ parts that a human being has. Gender on the other hand refers to the sexuality that a person identifies themselves with.



                The choice of term used probably would not matter to a majority of the users, but it is a big deal for certain people. For instance, deviantART used to offer three choices on their user profile field - male, female, and 'unspecified'. They removed the last option in 2010 and it caused widespread outrage among a subset of users, with vocal calls for boycotting deviantART too.



                Since listing a range of choices under 'gender' itself can be topic of contention (e.g., what if you 'miss out' a certain gender identity in the list?), one way some web application developers get out of this is by offering an "I do not prefer to say" or "Unspecified" option under a sex field.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered Mar 10 '11 at 11:05









                Ankur BanerjeeAnkur Banerjee

                1,1604 gold badges13 silver badges29 bronze badges




                1,1604 gold badges13 silver badges29 bronze badges











                • 1





                  Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:23






                • 6





                  Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

                  – Omar Kooheji
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:50






                • 2





                  @omar, isn't it?

                  – the JinX
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:08






                • 5





                  I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

                  – Dan
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:29






                • 1





                  @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 11 '11 at 10:42














                • 1





                  Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:23






                • 6





                  Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

                  – Omar Kooheji
                  Mar 10 '11 at 11:50






                • 2





                  @omar, isn't it?

                  – the JinX
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:08






                • 5





                  I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

                  – Dan
                  Mar 10 '11 at 14:29






                • 1





                  @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

                  – Blorgbeard
                  Mar 11 '11 at 10:42








                1




                1





                Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

                – Blorgbeard
                Mar 10 '11 at 11:23





                Some sites (eg. Metafilter) just have a free-text field for gender/sex.

                – Blorgbeard
                Mar 10 '11 at 11:23




                6




                6





                Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

                – Omar Kooheji
                Mar 10 '11 at 11:50





                Free text runs the risk of people writing "Yes please" because their simple minds think it's funny.

                – Omar Kooheji
                Mar 10 '11 at 11:50




                2




                2





                @omar, isn't it?

                – the JinX
                Mar 10 '11 at 14:08





                @omar, isn't it?

                – the JinX
                Mar 10 '11 at 14:08




                5




                5





                I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

                – Dan
                Mar 10 '11 at 14:29





                I've seen one site that had checkboxes (not radio buttons) for Male and Female.

                – Dan
                Mar 10 '11 at 14:29




                1




                1





                @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

                – Blorgbeard
                Mar 11 '11 at 10:42





                @Omar hah - that's probably why Metafilter calls it "gender"

                – Blorgbeard
                Mar 11 '11 at 10:42











                2
















                Well, if your app is going to be used worldwide, then the choice that you make could potentially have a huge impact. Have you heard of the third gender? Some countries such as Pakistan have officially recognised a third gender amogst their people. The idea may sound bizarre to some western ears, but that's the world for you.



                If you are interested in recording biological characteristics, use "sex". If you are interested in social ones, use "gender". Everything else is silly political correctness or plain misinformation.






                share|improve this answer






























                  2
















                  Well, if your app is going to be used worldwide, then the choice that you make could potentially have a huge impact. Have you heard of the third gender? Some countries such as Pakistan have officially recognised a third gender amogst their people. The idea may sound bizarre to some western ears, but that's the world for you.



                  If you are interested in recording biological characteristics, use "sex". If you are interested in social ones, use "gender". Everything else is silly political correctness or plain misinformation.






                  share|improve this answer




























                    2














                    2










                    2









                    Well, if your app is going to be used worldwide, then the choice that you make could potentially have a huge impact. Have you heard of the third gender? Some countries such as Pakistan have officially recognised a third gender amogst their people. The idea may sound bizarre to some western ears, but that's the world for you.



                    If you are interested in recording biological characteristics, use "sex". If you are interested in social ones, use "gender". Everything else is silly political correctness or plain misinformation.






                    share|improve this answer













                    Well, if your app is going to be used worldwide, then the choice that you make could potentially have a huge impact. Have you heard of the third gender? Some countries such as Pakistan have officially recognised a third gender amogst their people. The idea may sound bizarre to some western ears, but that's the world for you.



                    If you are interested in recording biological characteristics, use "sex". If you are interested in social ones, use "gender". Everything else is silly political correctness or plain misinformation.







                    share|improve this answer












                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer










                    answered Apr 30 '11 at 1:26









                    CesarGonCesarGon

                    3,2951 gold badge18 silver badges28 bronze badges




                    3,2951 gold badge18 silver badges28 bronze badges


























                        1
















                        Isn't "gender" referring to two separate ideas: 1. the biological one (=sex) 2. the technical term in sociology, so you can of course use it synonymously with sex?






                        share|improve this answer






























                          1
















                          Isn't "gender" referring to two separate ideas: 1. the biological one (=sex) 2. the technical term in sociology, so you can of course use it synonymously with sex?






                          share|improve this answer




























                            1














                            1










                            1









                            Isn't "gender" referring to two separate ideas: 1. the biological one (=sex) 2. the technical term in sociology, so you can of course use it synonymously with sex?






                            share|improve this answer













                            Isn't "gender" referring to two separate ideas: 1. the biological one (=sex) 2. the technical term in sociology, so you can of course use it synonymously with sex?







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered Mar 10 '11 at 9:40









                            artistoexartistoex

                            3352 silver badges9 bronze badges




                            3352 silver badges9 bronze badges


























                                0
















                                There are lots of answers, but I'd like to add mine in here, because I strongly disagree with most of the others. The current usage for the younger generations is precisely the reverse of that of our grandparents. @yc01 sums it up well, by putting it exactly backwards to how it used to be just a little while ago. It used to be (and I would go still with this) that sex is a social term, and way of referring to people, whereas gender is the scientific word, the sort of thing used to describe lab rats or people you're dissecting, or a taxonomy on some government paperwork. I avoid referring to someone's gender; it can be a slightly horrid, impersonal word.






                                share|improve this answer























                                • 1





                                  Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

                                  – MrHen
                                  May 23 '11 at 19:51











                                • Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 20:08











                                • What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

                                  – Mitch
                                  May 23 '11 at 21:40











                                • Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:40











                                • I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:43
















                                0
















                                There are lots of answers, but I'd like to add mine in here, because I strongly disagree with most of the others. The current usage for the younger generations is precisely the reverse of that of our grandparents. @yc01 sums it up well, by putting it exactly backwards to how it used to be just a little while ago. It used to be (and I would go still with this) that sex is a social term, and way of referring to people, whereas gender is the scientific word, the sort of thing used to describe lab rats or people you're dissecting, or a taxonomy on some government paperwork. I avoid referring to someone's gender; it can be a slightly horrid, impersonal word.






                                share|improve this answer























                                • 1





                                  Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

                                  – MrHen
                                  May 23 '11 at 19:51











                                • Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 20:08











                                • What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

                                  – Mitch
                                  May 23 '11 at 21:40











                                • Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:40











                                • I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:43














                                0














                                0










                                0









                                There are lots of answers, but I'd like to add mine in here, because I strongly disagree with most of the others. The current usage for the younger generations is precisely the reverse of that of our grandparents. @yc01 sums it up well, by putting it exactly backwards to how it used to be just a little while ago. It used to be (and I would go still with this) that sex is a social term, and way of referring to people, whereas gender is the scientific word, the sort of thing used to describe lab rats or people you're dissecting, or a taxonomy on some government paperwork. I avoid referring to someone's gender; it can be a slightly horrid, impersonal word.






                                share|improve this answer















                                There are lots of answers, but I'd like to add mine in here, because I strongly disagree with most of the others. The current usage for the younger generations is precisely the reverse of that of our grandparents. @yc01 sums it up well, by putting it exactly backwards to how it used to be just a little while ago. It used to be (and I would go still with this) that sex is a social term, and way of referring to people, whereas gender is the scientific word, the sort of thing used to describe lab rats or people you're dissecting, or a taxonomy on some government paperwork. I avoid referring to someone's gender; it can be a slightly horrid, impersonal word.







                                share|improve this answer














                                share|improve this answer



                                share|improve this answer








                                edited May 23 '11 at 23:34

























                                answered May 23 '11 at 19:15









                                Nicholas WilsonNicholas Wilson

                                1655 bronze badges




                                1655 bronze badges











                                • 1





                                  Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

                                  – MrHen
                                  May 23 '11 at 19:51











                                • Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 20:08











                                • What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

                                  – Mitch
                                  May 23 '11 at 21:40











                                • Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:40











                                • I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:43














                                • 1





                                  Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

                                  – MrHen
                                  May 23 '11 at 19:51











                                • Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 20:08











                                • What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

                                  – Mitch
                                  May 23 '11 at 21:40











                                • Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:40











                                • I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

                                  – Nicholas Wilson
                                  May 23 '11 at 23:43








                                1




                                1





                                Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

                                – MrHen
                                May 23 '11 at 19:51





                                Considering every other answer here disagrees with you haven't provided a reference other than your experiences with "younger generations", I have to give you a -1. No one else I have ever talked to uses it the way you just did. This could be a location specific thing; I can understand a different region ending up with different usage.

                                – MrHen
                                May 23 '11 at 19:51













                                Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

                                – Nicholas Wilson
                                May 23 '11 at 20:08





                                Point. I've checked it out in the OED then. There aren't many old sources for 'gender' in this use; it's a post-60s new meaning for the word. Gender (3a&b) as used to distinguish between various classes of object or ever profession was common, but the common connotation now of referring to people's sex is indeed new within living memory. In contrast, sex (OED 1-4) is a old meaning. Gender is one of those words like vagina that was originally used a clinical (or in the case of gender sometimes bureaucratic) avoidance but became common. I feel sex is still a somewhat more personal word.

                                – Nicholas Wilson
                                May 23 '11 at 20:08













                                What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

                                – Mitch
                                May 23 '11 at 21:40





                                What is a 'chip mine'? I've never heard that expression before. I agree that 'gender' can sound more clinical/impersonal/technical than 'sex', but it is unclear how OED corresponds. Can you add to your answer something explicit from the OED (I don't have online access to it)

                                – Mitch
                                May 23 '11 at 21:40













                                Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

                                – Nicholas Wilson
                                May 23 '11 at 23:40





                                Sorry. OED gives “Gender. … 3b In mod. (esp. feminist) use, a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes. Freq. attrib.” The full OED, as well as giving defs, lists a pile of quotations for each one to record earliest usage and development. Of the seven given for 3b, the earliest is 1963.

                                – Nicholas Wilson
                                May 23 '11 at 23:40













                                I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

                                – Nicholas Wilson
                                May 23 '11 at 23:43





                                I would guess our modern use of gender stems from feminism (as suggested), the unwanted connotations of the word sex from that time, and political/bureaucratic correctness using what was a medical word for something they wanted to be coy about. This is turning into more of a rant and debate than I wanted; I'm sorry if just seem to be defending to my point. I just wanted to give an opposing view to the debate. I am realistic about current usage, but the word 'sex' has plenty of historical and cultural sense, so I don't feel too bad for suggesting it.

                                – Nicholas Wilson
                                May 23 '11 at 23:43





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                                He _____ here since 1970 . Answer needed [closed]What does “since he was so high” mean?Meaning of “catch birds for”?How do I ensure “since” takes the meaning I want?“Who cares here” meaningWhat does “right round toward” mean?the time tense (had now been detected)What does the phrase “ring around the roses” mean here?Correct usage of “visited upon”Meaning of “foiled rail sabotage bid”It was the third time I had gone to Rome or It is the third time I had been to Rome

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