(Toplumsal) Cinsiyet İkiliğini Sorgulamak: Güncel Çalışmalar Ne Gösteriyor?

Öz

İnsan türünün cinsiyet açısından iki zıt gruba ayrıldığı ve tüm bireylerin bu iki gruptan birine ait olduğu varsayımı “(toplumsal) cinsiyet ikiliği” olarak adlandırılmaktadır. Bu anlayışa göre cinsiyet biyolojik açıdan iki-biçimli (dimorfik) bir sistemdir ve dolayısıyla cinsiyetle ilişkili diğer özelliklerin de iki-biçimli olduğu varsayılır. Yani her bireyin ya dişi ya da erkek olarak doğduğu ve hormonlarının, beyin yapısının ve psikolojik özelliklerinin de buna paralel olarak şekillendiği kabul edilir. Öte yandan, bu varsayımın bilimsel geçerliliği, özellikle son 20-30 yıldaki ampirik ve meta-analitik çalışmalardan elde edilen bulguların etkisiyle giderek daha fazla sorgulanmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, bu yazıda, (toplumsal) cinsiyet ikiliği varsayımının geçersizliğini gösteren güncel araştırma bulgularının bütünlüklü bir şekilde sunulması ve tartışılması amaçlanmıştır. Söz konusu bulgular, insanlardaki cinsiyet olgusunun -ne biyolojik ne de psikolojik açıdan- ikili kategorileştirmeye sıkıştırılamayacak düzeyde çeşitlilik içerdiğini göstermektedir. Bu sebeple, ikili cinsiyet modelinin yerine, cinsiyet olgusunun çok-boyutlu, dinamik ve etkileşimsel doğasını dikkate alan alternatif yaklaşımların kullanılması önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• toplumsal cinsiyet
• biyolojik cinsiyet
• cinsiyet ikiliği
• cinsiyet farklılıkları
• cinsiyet çeşitliliği

Questioning the Gender Binary: Insights from Contemporary Research

Öz

The assumption that humans are divided into two opposing groups in terms of gender/sex and that all individuals belong to one of these two groups is called “gender binary”. In this view, sex is considered as a biologically dimorphic system, and therefore all gender-related characteristics are also assumed to be dimorphic. In other words, it is accepted that every individual is born either male or female and that their hormones, brain structure, and psychological characteristics are shaped accordingly. On the other hand, the scientific validity of this assumption has been increasingly questioned based on the findings of empirical and meta-analytic studies in the last 2-3 decades. This article aims to present and discuss current research findings that challenge the gender binary. These findings show that humans exhibit diversity that cannot be confined to a binary categorization – neither biologically nor psychologically. Therefore, instead of the gender binary model, it is recommended to use alternative approaches that take into account the multi-dimensional, dynamic, and interactive nature of gender/sex.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• gender
• sex
• gender binary
• gender differences
• gender diversity

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