Introduction
Sexual development is a natural process in the growing up of teens and adolescents and transitioning into adulthood. Sexual development combines physical and sexual maturation (puberty factors, age-appropriate sexual behaviors), a positive sexual identity, and a sense of sexual well-being. Sexual development often does play a role in gender identity.
What Is Sexual Development?
Sexual development is the development of sexual characteristics, primary or secondary, at puberty and the development of sexual interests. Secondary sexual characteristics, however, keep developing through different stages of life. Sexual maturation occurs gradually as a person goes through puberty, usually lasting from 12 to 16 years of age. Certain biological changes also affect sexual development, given each gender's unique experience, resulting in differences within the developmental process.
How Does Sexual Development Occur?
Sexual development is the process by which a person's primary sex organs and secondary sex characteristics develop during puberty. At birth, boys and girls are alike in basic body shape and function but have different physical characteristics at maturity. Primary sex organs like the ovaries, uterus, penis, and testes increase dramatically in size and mature in function at puberty.
Simultaneously, secondary sex characteristics develop as well. These characteristics are not required for reproduction but signify masculinity and femininity. For example:
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Males: At birth, boys have testes that are external to the body; at puberty, boys develop wide shoulders, adam's apple, bread, and increased musculature.
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Females: At birth, girls have ovaries that are internal to their bodies; at puberty, girls develop breasts, pubic hair, and wide hips.
Sexual development is also impacted by a dynamic mixture of physical change with cognitive expectations at puberty.
What Is the Role of Sexual Development and Gender Identity?
Gender identity is when a person identifies themselves as a man, woman, transgender or other. Children's gender identity (their ideas about what it means to be a boy or girl and how notions of gender apply to them) develops in complexity during middle childhood or during teenage and adolescence. That is also when sexual development occurs. At this developmental moment, children become aware of gender stereotypes concerning how boys and girls are "supposed" to think and act. Children start identifying and becoming familiar with certain activities and abilities specific to being "masculine" or "feminine." This concept may affect their willingness to engage in activities and behaviors outside their gender characteristics, even if they previously used to enjoy those behaviors. For example, kids might say that boys are better at sports and subjects like mathematics and mechanics while girls are better at reading, literature, art, and music.
Even though children concretely define masculine and feminine roles, they may not frequently choose to be involved in gender-appropriate behaviors. Many children feel empowered to explore all types of activities and roles—not just those traditionally associated with their own sex. This allows them to be more flexible in how they describe themselves. For example, girls may want to play with cars, while boys may want to play with dolls. As they try new activities, children typically become more flexible in their beliefs and identifying their interests. This plays an essential role in the development of gender identity and understanding who they are, and discovering their interests.
What Is Gender Identity?
Gender identity is the sense of being male or female that an individual has, regardless of the sex assigned at birth. Gender identity can be different from a person's sex assigned at birth. Gender dysphoria refers to a clinical level of discomfort or unease that a person may feel if their gender does not match their assigned gender or assigned sex expectedly.
The gender identity of a person may change and depends upon their interests and various other factors, hormonal factors, social and environmental factors, biological factors like hereditary, childhood and adulthood experiences, and prenatal development. These factors shape the gender identity of a person.
What Are the Different Types of Gender Identities?
Gender identity refers to what gender someone is irrespective of their birth sex. The different types of gender identities are:
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Cisgender - Cisgender people are those whose gender identities correspond with their birth sex. For example, a woman born with female sex organs would identify as female. Similarly, a man born with male sex organs would be identified as male.
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Transgender - When people whose genders do not conform to their sexes according to societal expectations. A boy or man undergoes medical procedures to change their gender or sex to become a woman.
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Gender Diverse - People whose genders differ from the standardized cultural norms and stereotypes. It is also called gender expansive, meaning the person would rather want to expand or widen the cultural expectations of their gender.
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Gender-Fluid - Some people's feelings about gender may keep changing periodically, and they do not have fixed genders.
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Non-Binary - People who belong to genders other than male or female. These people are often associated with varying identities and expressions.
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Genderqueer - Genderqueer is often used when the birth sex and gender identity are not aligned with societal expectations.
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Omnigender - Omnigender is when the person experiences all genders.
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Agender - When the person does not identify with either being a male or a female or any gender at all.
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Androgyne - When a person identifies themselves as both male and female genders.
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Bigender - When the person identifies with any two genders, it can be male, female, transgender, or any two of the genders, as mentioned above.
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Pan gender - This is when a person experiences more than one gender but not all genders.
Conclusion
Sexual development is the development of sexual characteristics in a person. At the same time, gender identity is used to describe when a person identifies his own gender irrespective of the gender assigned at birth. Sexual development and identifying one's own gender start in early childhood and continue in adulthood. Gender identity is flexible, and how people view themselves can evolve over time, and that is completely normal. Most people may want to explore their genders and not remain confined to their birth sex. With increasing awareness, people are becoming more aware of their gender identities.
