Understanding cisgender: An overview
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Cisgender is a critical concept for understanding the dynamics of gender identity and the systems of power that shape our social realities. While its usage in public health and other fields has been somewhat limited, there is significant potential for the term to support more inclusive and nuanced understandings of gender. By addressing the limitations in its current application and returning to its roots, we can better leverage the concept of cisgender to promote gender inclusivity and equity.
The term “cisgender” has gained significant traction in both academic and public discourse over the past few decades. It is a concept that helps articulate the normative relationship between an individual’s gender identity and their biological sex assigned at birth. This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of what cisgender means, its historical context, and its implications in various social and institutional settings.
Definition and Historical Context
Cisgender, often abbreviated as “cis,” refers to individuals whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015, which defines it as “designating a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds to his or her sex at birth”2. The concept emerged in the early 1990s as a way to disrupt the marked-unmarked binary between transgender and non-transgender identities5.
Usage in Public Health and Research
In public health literature, the term “cisgender” is primarily used to categorize individuals who are not transgender. However, this usage often narrows the term to a mere demographic label, which can undermine its potential to support gender inclusivity and deepen understandings of gender-based health disparities1. For instance, a study analyzing 352 US-focused public health articles found that “cisgender” is often used in a limited and narrow manner, reinforcing binary gender categorizations1.
Cisgender in Social and Institutional Contexts
Religion
Contemporary American religions often perpetuate cisnormativity by erasing, marking, and punishing transgender experiences. This process, termed “cisgendering reality,” helps maintain conceptions of reality that are predicated on cisnormativity3. Understanding these processes can provide insights into both transgender and cisgender experiences within religious contexts.
Workplace
In organizational settings, cisgenderism and cissexism contribute to workplace inequalities. For example, trans women often face unique double binds and fluid biases that reinforce hierarchical privileges favoring cisgender individuals4. Cisgendered workspaces produce both outright and categorical exclusions, adversely affecting transgender and non-binary workers’ access to resources and job satisfaction10.
Implications for Gender Inclusivity
The term “cisgender” holds significant potential for advancing gender inclusivity. However, its current usage often falls short of this potential. To create more robust and inclusive applications of the term, it is essential to clarify and standardize how and when it is used. Additionally, returning to its historical origins as a framework for exposing and explaining patterns of power can expand its analytic potential1.