Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionWhat’s the Difference Between Sex and Gender?Types of Gender IdentitiesCisnormativityCisgender vs. TransgenderCisgender vs. Straight
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definition
What’s the Difference Between Sex and Gender?
Types of Gender Identities
Cisnormativity
Cisgender vs. Transgender
Cisgender vs. Straight
A cis woman is someone who identifies as a woman and whose assigned sex at birth was female. Cis women typically use the pronouns “she” and “her.”
Cis stands for “cisgender.” It describes a person whosegender identitycorresponds to the sex they were assigned at birth. As with all gender identities, using the term “cis” can help an individual express themselves. It also aids others in communicating with a person more accurately and respectfully.
Maskot / Getty Images
Cis Woman Identity
The term “cis woman” or “cis female"is used to describe a person who was assigned female at birth and identifies as such. (Similarly, a cis man is someone who was assigned male at birth and identifies as male.)
For a cis woman, this means that their gender aligns with not only their primary sex characteristics (such as the vagina and ovaries) but also their secondary sex characteristics like:
A common mistake that many people make is using the term “cisgendered,” which suggests an action rather than a state of being. In the same way that you would never refer to someone as being “gayed” or “transgendered,” you should not call someone “cisgendered”—the correct term is cisgender.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, sex and gender are not the same. It’s also possible for them to be aligned or different.
Sex
Gender
Gender refers to roles and behaviors that society assigns as being “masculine” or “feminine.” It infers behaviors that are “accepted” or “appropriate” based on how a person acts, speaks, dresses, or even sits. Gender is often ascribed in:
Increasingly, gender is used to describe how someone sees themselves internally, irrespective of the social construct.
SexA biological and physiological designation based on a person’s sex chromosomes and sexual organsRefers to both a person’s chromosomes and the way that their genes are expressedGenerally described in terms of “male” and “female” characteristics or the sex a person is assigned at birthGenderA social constructRefers to the social roles, behaviors, and expectations considered “appropriate” for men and womenHistorically defined as “masculine” and “feminine,” although the definitions can change as societal expectations change
SexA biological and physiological designation based on a person’s sex chromosomes and sexual organsRefers to both a person’s chromosomes and the way that their genes are expressedGenerally described in terms of “male” and “female” characteristics or the sex a person is assigned at birth
A biological and physiological designation based on a person’s sex chromosomes and sexual organs
Refers to both a person’s chromosomes and the way that their genes are expressed
Generally described in terms of “male” and “female” characteristics or the sex a person is assigned at birth
GenderA social constructRefers to the social roles, behaviors, and expectations considered “appropriate” for men and womenHistorically defined as “masculine” and “feminine,” although the definitions can change as societal expectations change
A social construct
Refers to the social roles, behaviors, and expectations considered “appropriate” for men and women
Historically defined as “masculine” and “feminine,” although the definitions can change as societal expectations change
Gender Identities
In the past, gender was largely regarded as binary, meaning that a person was either a “woman” or a “man.” Today, gender is largely viewed as a spectrum wherein someone might identify with one gender, multiple genders, or no gender.
Gender identity types include:
Cis Woman vs. “Normal” Woman
Although many people may identify as cisgender, a cis woman is neither “normal” nor has qualities or characteristics that inherently differentiate them from a person of other gender identities.
Being a cis woman may involve a concept known ascisnormativity, which is the assumption that everyone identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth. Inwardly, this may inform how a cis woman would be expected to dress and act.
In fact, cisnormative standards influence the appearance expectations of people of every gender. By doing so, they end up reinforcing gender stereotypes and further fueling cisnormativity.
Cisgender is the antonym fortransgender.
Transgender (sometimes referred to as “trans”) refers to people whose gender identity, expression, and/or behavior differs from the sex they were assigned to at birth. A transgender woman identifies and lives as a woman, but her gender assigned at birth was male.(Likewise, a transgender man was assigned female at birth, but identifies as a male.)
In Latin, “cis” means “on this side,” while “trans” means “on the other side.” Some people argue that defining a cisgender person as being “aligned” suggests that a transgender person is “not aligned.” Others contend that cisgender is used as a default category to assert that someone is “not transgender.” As such, some activists have proposed using the term non-transgender instead.
Gender identity andsexual orientationare not the same things.This means that a cisgender person can be heterosexual or homosexual, bisexual, or asexual.
Summary
A cisgender (cis) woman is a person whose gender identity corresponds with the female sex designation they were assigned at birth. A cis woman uses the pronouns “she” and “her,” and has female sex characteristics (such as a vagina and ovaries).
Cisgender is one of many different gender identities. A person may identify with one gender, multiple genders, or no gender.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Clayton JA, Tannenbaum C.Reporting sex, gender, or both in clinical research?JAMA. 2016;316(18):1863-1864. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16405Monteiro D, Poulakis M.Effects of cisnormative beauty standards on transgender women’s perceptions and expressions of beauty,Midwest Social Sci J.2019;222(1):10. doi:10.22543/2766-0796.1009American Psychological Association.Understanding Transgender People, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression.Moleiro C, Pinto N.Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and their relation to psychopathology classification systems.Front Psychol. 2015;6:1511.doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01511
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Clayton JA, Tannenbaum C.Reporting sex, gender, or both in clinical research?JAMA. 2016;316(18):1863-1864. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16405Monteiro D, Poulakis M.Effects of cisnormative beauty standards on transgender women’s perceptions and expressions of beauty,Midwest Social Sci J.2019;222(1):10. doi:10.22543/2766-0796.1009American Psychological Association.Understanding Transgender People, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression.Moleiro C, Pinto N.Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and their relation to psychopathology classification systems.Front Psychol. 2015;6:1511.doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01511
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Clayton JA, Tannenbaum C.Reporting sex, gender, or both in clinical research?JAMA. 2016;316(18):1863-1864. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16405Monteiro D, Poulakis M.Effects of cisnormative beauty standards on transgender women’s perceptions and expressions of beauty,Midwest Social Sci J.2019;222(1):10. doi:10.22543/2766-0796.1009American Psychological Association.Understanding Transgender People, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression.Moleiro C, Pinto N.Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and their relation to psychopathology classification systems.Front Psychol. 2015;6:1511.doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01511
Clayton JA, Tannenbaum C.Reporting sex, gender, or both in clinical research?JAMA. 2016;316(18):1863-1864. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16405
American Psychological Association.Understanding Transgender People, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression.
Moleiro C, Pinto N.Sexual orientation and gender identity: review of concepts, controversies and their relation to psychopathology classification systems.Front Psychol. 2015;6:1511.doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01511
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
