'Sex' and 'gender' are often used interchangeably, despite having different meanings: in short, sex is about your body, gender is about who you perceive yourself to be.

Sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals. It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed.

Gender refers to socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of people. It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how they act and interact, and the distribution of power and resources in society. Gender has traditionally been conceptualized as a binary (girl/woman and boy/man) yet there is considerable diversity within each frame in how individuals and groups understand, experience, and express it. This diversity has developed or expanded in more recent times.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines gender as:

"Gender refers to the socially constructed characteristics of women and men, such as norms, roles, and relationships of and between groups of women and men. It varies from society to society and can be changed."

As gender is seen as socially constructed, but biologically related, it can vary significantly from society to society.

Feeling different can be difficult. Experiencing confusion about gender, sex and identity can be even trickier. One of the most helpful ways that we can address the issue of confusion about gender is by expanding our view of what it means to be gendered male and what it means to be gendered female. As our concepts of masculinity and femininity are broadened, we give scope for people to have a gendered expression of themselves that aligns with their sex. In other words, there are lots of ways to be male, and there are lots of ways to be female.