gender identity

American  

noun

1. a person's inner sense of being male, female, or another gender, usually developed during early childhood as a result of parental rearing practices and societal influences and strengthened during puberty by hormonal changes.

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Sensitive Note

One's gender identity may continue to evolve over time and may diverge from the male/female gender division. See the usage note at gender ¹ .

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gender identity

Clayton County, a 2020 Supreme Court decision that established workplace discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

Clayton County, which held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

But I’m not talking about my gender identity.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Known as "Tickle vs Giggle", the years-long dispute is the first time a case of alleged gender identity discrimination has been heard by the Federal Court in Australia.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

In a decade of solid, original research, Luce made his second great discovery: that gender identity is established very early on in life, about the age of two.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides