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Intersexuality

Suzanne Kessler’s essay, “The Medical Construction of Gender” studies the nature and factors that influence intersexuality since birth. Intersexuality refers to a condition where a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy which does not resemble that of a typical male or female. In the late 20^th century, scientists used medical technology that allowed them to determine chromosomal and hormonal gender; this method was the biological aspect of it. However, physicians who handle cases of intersex, also consider the cultural factors when determining, assigning, and announcing the gender of a particular infant. These issues are only “peripheral” compared to the medical issues of intersexuality. According to the article, physicians who deal with intersex cases ultimately rely on the cultural understanding of sex.

Three major factors that affect how intersex conditions are seen and dealt with are the advancement of science technology (genital construction), questioning of the valuation of women according to reproductive functions, and gender identity or the gender that one mostly associates their self to be whether it’s male or female.  Based on the gender theory proposed by John Money and Anke Ehrhardt, gender identity is changeable until 18 months of age. The theory requires several conditions to be met in order to develop a successful gender identity that synchronizes with the gender assignment. This theory requires intimate supervision and administering of intersex infants in order to clearly decide their true genders without having to reconsider any early decisions made about the child’s sex. However, some factors and issues that arise from this can be as the parents not knowing their child’s gender even after birth, dealing with the social and cultural boundaries that are set on gender. It is a very hard process for the physicians as well as parents. And the fact that people expect the infant to be either a male or female also makes it hard to handle the condition scientifically. Since birth, the very first inference people make about the infant usually concerns their gender so society is built upon the belief that anything (any gender) other than male or female is unacceptable. While many physicians, who were interviewed, believe that it is extremely important to keep social factors out when assigning a gender to the intersex infant, they also believe that once the infant is leaves the hospital, social factors become the main contributes in assigning the gender of the baby. And instead of medically working with the condition to fully understand it, social/cultural ideologies begin to characterize the infant without any real understanding of its condition.