ABSTRACT
According to Merriam-Webster, gender is “the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex.” Gender essentialism can be defined as the view that the psychological and physical traits of men and women are inherent and unchanging and that “male” and “female” are the only two genders that exist. Gender essentialists will grant that, although specific gender behaviors are imposed by culture, the underlying dispositions are innate. Gender essentialists may consider intersex individuals to be rare exceptions based on chromosomal anomalies. Gender constructionism is an alternative to the idea that there are inherent biological traits for males and females. It holds that gender is a social construct, manufactured arbitrarily by society. Gender constructionism directly challenges sexual discrimination but presents some significant questions.
