Gender Explained

June 1, 2024
A comprehensive analysis of gender identity and the debates it continues to provoke. Few topics have fueled the culture wars during the past decade like gender. "Hardly a day goes by across media outlets without reference to a gender-related issue, usually about children and adolescents," write clinical psychologists Ehrensaft, author of The Gender Creative Child, and Jurkiewicz. Gender creativity is the idea that children should be able to explore their own genders in ways that make sense to them. "Human minds are creative and complex, so binary thinking is not the only way," write the authors, who declare their allegiance to gender-diverse youth and their families while also rigorously educating readers on the bigger picture. As psychologists, they lead their discussion with a preponderance of data. "The misinformation presented in the media," they write, "creates an unnecessary and added burden to those already carrying so much." The authors thoughtfully examine how and why gender has become a pressing concern for today's youth; why so much anxiety surrounds the topic ("People don't understand what is going on as they experience...seismic shifts in gender, and the unknown feels threatening"); the lifesaving consequences of the gender-affirming model; the claims that a disproportionate number of children designated female at birth are transgender or genderqueer; and how parents can raise their children in a gender-healthy manner. Ehrensaft and Jurkiewicz also parse the controversies of gender in sports, education, and medicine, and they urge readers to engage in self-reflection to confront their own prejudices about the issue, noting how it's a "lifelong" process to attain literacy. "We shouldn't be aspiring to gender neutrality, but rather gender inclusivity," they write. "It's not 'down with gender, ' but rather down with constricting gender rules and regulations." A thorough, evenhanded illumination of a contentious topic imbued with compassion and cleareyed data.

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Starred review from July 1, 2024

As psychologists and pioneers of the interdisciplinary Gender Affirmative Model, which enables youths to live in their authentic gender with social and necessary support systems, Ehrensaft (The Gender Creative Child: Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes) and Jurkiewicz set out to create a contemporary, relevant primer on gender to help readers who are confused, concerned, or curious. They present gender as a web of considerations that can evolve over time, in which nature, nurture, and culture intersect. Common terms, media misconceptions, and fraudulent research are addressed here with clear language, scientific counterpoints, and recommendations for further study. The analogies are relatable, as are the sample conversations and excerpts from patients' experiences. The authors address rubber stamping, grooming, and the fears that parents are telling themselves and each other; the chapter on gender and school sports is especially candid. A self-examination of the authors' own perceptions about gender and a look at the opportunities for their own growth close the book, serving as validation of their credentials and humanity when it comes to acceptance. VERDICT This essential purchase accurately captures the pulse of the conversation about gender in the United States, expands awareness and knowledge about gender, and educates readers about common myths and misinformation.--Tina Panik

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