Some Commonly Misunderstood Facts About Gender

• 'Gender' does not mean sex, female or feminism
• Everyone has gender (MEN HAVE GENDER TOO!!!!)
• Everyone’s sex and gender has an impact on their health
• 'A gender perspective in medicine' is not a euphemism for women’s health, feminism or for men needing to ‘get in touch with their feminine side’
• Misuse of terms is widespread

Common Misuses of Terminology

There are a number of instances where sex and gender are used interchangeably and sometimes inappropriately:

1. When causality is unclear
2. Social ‘discretion’ on public documentation
3. Linguistic and social association of 'gender' with 'women's issues'
4. Over-interpretation in policy or programme documentation
5. Medical Literature