Gender: Definitions and Concepts

Sex:

Sex refers to the biologically determined characteristics of men and women in terms of reproductive organs and functions based on chromosomal complement and physiology. As such, sex is globally understood as the classification of living things as male or female.

Gender:

Gender refers to the social constructions of women and men, femininity and masculinity, which vary in different times, different places, different age groups and different religions and cultures.

Gender equality:

This term refers to the desirable situation in which individuals are free to develop their abilities and make decisions without being subject to restrictions caused by defined gender roles.

Equal opportunities for women and men:

Equal opportunity indicates the absence of barriers to economic, political and social participation on the grounds of sex. It should be distinguished from equal treatment, which merely implies avoiding direct discrimination.

Gender-sensible        research:

In gender-sensitive research, gender is considered along the entire research cycle, including the research question itself.

Gender-specific research:

Gender itself is the object of research.

Gender-blind research:

Gender is not taken into account. This is based on the erroneous assumption that any differences between men and women are not relevant to research per se.

Gender bias in research:

Gender bias is the often unintentional and implicit differentiation between men and women by placing one gender in a hierarchical position relative to the other in a certain context, as a result of stereotypical images of masculinity and femininity.