Today, gender is a hot topic. So far, I have not revealed my gender. In fact, I have not mentioned gender so far, not even through pronouns. It is a deliberate choice, and now I have a question for you: What does gender mean to you? Is it important for you to know mine?

Every day, we are confronted with gender; whether it is regarding the segregation in public bathrooms or performed stereotypes. Since early childhood, we are affected by what sex we are anatomically assigned.

If someone announces that they are having a baby, the first question asked is what sex the baby is. But why does it matter? As soon as the sex is revealed to the public, the gender starts to develop. Clothes and toys get color coded, and the baby is treated in accordance with what sex it has. Of course, there are biological differences, but the nurture of the child has a huge impact on how the child perceives the world. I think that the fact that children are treated differently because of their gender makes it impossible for both genders to be equal because our upbringing affects us fundamentally.

The cognitive concept of gender makes it hard to differ between what you do as you and what you do because you were told what to do it as a child. There is no rational reason why girls are praised for caring about their appearance whereas boys are shamed for wearing nail polish. An enormous part of our identity is developed through gender, consciously and unconsciously. The way we think is affected by our gender. So, are you your own person, or are you a social construction affected by a fixed perspective of how you’re supposed to be according to your gender?