People tend to think biologically female is always only a female and biologically male is always fully a male, with the unquestioned assumption that sex and gender are the same thing. Many people grow up and often live their whole lives with this binary view and never feel the need to think about it further. However, the concept of two genders is mostly a western view in which Western religions such as Christianity have a big role to play. For example, for hundreds of years there has occurred the so-called ‘coupling’ between sex and procreation. Family and having children have always been central parts of life and the idea of traditional family is closely linked to Western religions and teachings (Hubbert 1996: 158). However, many cultures have and still do except the idea of more than two genders. For instance, some Native Americans acknowledge the existence of people who are not male or female, but something between. They construct a third gender and are often referred as ‘the Berdache’ (Schnarch 1992). The same kind of notion of third gender can be found in India where ‘hijras’ form a third gender group. They are either intersex or made to be the third sex through castration (Lal 1999: 119). The notion of a third gender in a large number of non-Western cultures tells about how the concept of two genders is not actually fixed nor based completely on biological …show more content…
These sex correction surgeries and treatments are usually done although there is nothing wrong with the child’s health. Thus, the reason behind correcting baby’s sex seems to be more about pleasing and ensuring parents and the child’s future gender identity is ignored. When it comes to our understanding of sex, the binary paradigm, being intersex is seen as a mistake, abnormality or even something unnatural and so correcting the sex is seen as a rational thing to do (Hubbert 1996: 161). However, there is the danger of getting the sex of intersex baby wrong which can cause trauma and psychological issues later in their lives. One great example is the case of Finnish woman called Ami who was born intersex but was made to appear as a girl very soon after being born. She did not know about her condition until she was an adult but she never felt like an actual woman and thus, had a deep uncertainty of herself. Today she does not want to identify herself as anything and would choose to legally be a third sex if it was an option (Nousiainen