Toward an account of gender identity
Although the concept of gender identity plays a prominent role in campaigns for trans rights, it is not well understood, and common definitions suffer from a problematic circularity. This paper undertakes an ameliorative inquiry into the concept of gender identity, taking as a starting point the way...
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| Format: | Article |
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De Gruyter Open
2018
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53023/ |
| _version_ | 1848798861488816128 |
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| author | Jenkins, Katharine |
| author_facet | Jenkins, Katharine |
| author_sort | Jenkins, Katharine |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Although the concept of gender identity plays a prominent role in campaigns for trans rights, it is not well understood, and common definitions suffer from a problematic circularity. This paper undertakes an ameliorative inquiry into the concept of gender identity, taking as a starting point the ways in which trans rights movements seek to use the concept. First, I set out six desiderata that a target concept of gender identity should meet. I then consider three analytic accounts of gender identity: the dispositional account, the self-identification account, and the norm-relevancy account. I argue that only the norm-relevancy account can meet all six desiderata. Finally, I defend the norm-relevancy account from three objections: that it is cis-normative, that it has problematic implications regarding trans women, and that it entails that some people do not have the gender identity they take themselves to have. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:26:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-53023 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:26:30Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | De Gruyter Open |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-530232020-05-04T19:46:42Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53023/ Toward an account of gender identity Jenkins, Katharine Although the concept of gender identity plays a prominent role in campaigns for trans rights, it is not well understood, and common definitions suffer from a problematic circularity. This paper undertakes an ameliorative inquiry into the concept of gender identity, taking as a starting point the ways in which trans rights movements seek to use the concept. First, I set out six desiderata that a target concept of gender identity should meet. I then consider three analytic accounts of gender identity: the dispositional account, the self-identification account, and the norm-relevancy account. I argue that only the norm-relevancy account can meet all six desiderata. Finally, I defend the norm-relevancy account from three objections: that it is cis-normative, that it has problematic implications regarding trans women, and that it entails that some people do not have the gender identity they take themselves to have. De Gruyter Open 2018-07-18 Article PeerReviewed Jenkins, Katharine (2018) Toward an account of gender identity. ERGO . ISSN 1802-2170 (In Press) Gender; Gender Identity; Transgender; Trans rights; Conceptual engineering |
| spellingShingle | Gender; Gender Identity; Transgender; Trans rights; Conceptual engineering Jenkins, Katharine Toward an account of gender identity |
| title | Toward an account of gender identity |
| title_full | Toward an account of gender identity |
| title_fullStr | Toward an account of gender identity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Toward an account of gender identity |
| title_short | Toward an account of gender identity |
| title_sort | toward an account of gender identity |
| topic | Gender; Gender Identity; Transgender; Trans rights; Conceptual engineering |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/53023/ |