Gender identification and expression

As a parent, educating yourself on some common terms for gender identity or gender expression can help support your child or understand what they may be going through.

Most children will grow up to think of themselves as a girl or a boy but some may identify with gender diversity and want to express themselves differently.

Gender diversity

Relating to someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not conform to socially defined male or female gender norms.

Gender identity

An individual’s sense of self and internal understanding of their gender.

Gender expression

The way in which a person externally expresses their gender. This may include clothing, hairstyle, make-up, body language and mannerisms.

Gender fluid

The term used to describe someone who is in the process of changing gender.

Gender dysphoria

A feeling or discomfort or stress for those whose sex assigned at birth does not match their gender identity.

Cisgender (or cis)

Refers to a person whose gender identity aligns with their sexual assignment at birth.

Binary

Refers to the traditional understanding of sex and gender as two binary forms (male and female).

Non-binary

The term used to describe a person outside of the gender identity of male or female.

Transgender

The term used for an individual whose gender is different to their sex assigned at birth.

Pansexual

someone whose attracted to a person regardless of their gender.

LGBTIQ+

The abbreviation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer.

It is common for children or young adults to express themselves differently across what society may refer to as commonly male or female traits. 

Think of gender expression as a sliding scale of more feminine expression and more masculine expression. Everyone has elements of both masculine and feminine traits, it’s just how much they would like to express or how comfortable they are by expressing certain traits. 

Not all children or young adults who experiment with gender expression will later identify as gender diverse.