Moving Beyond the Binary: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations in Gender/Sex-Inclusive Developmental Science

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Abstract

Contemporary young people are pushing boundaries of gender/sex beyond binary thinking, yet research practices lag these more complex conceptions. Traditionally, psychological research practices assume the social construction of gender and physical features of sex are organized around a binary distinction of male and female (Perry et al., 2019). However, young people and LGBTQIA+ scholars are embracing the idea that gender/sex are intertwined, mutually informed experiences and identities (Fausto-Sterling, 2019; van Anders, 2015) and can be understood as multidimensional, multifaceted social constructs (Perry et al., 2019). Gender/sex can include identity, expression, embodiment, roles and expectations, and others’ perceptions of oneself.
If we are to expand conceptualizations of gender/sex to be more inclusive and reflective of contemporary understanding, we must consider conceptual and methodological complexities beyond traditionally binary or categorical variables. This roundtable discussion will grapple with several of these issues, including: (a) how to ask about gender/sex in a developmentally appropriate way; (b) what dimensions of gender/sex to measure, such as masculinity/femininity, identity, orientation, or status; and (c) how to quantify aspects of gender/sex in ways that are analyzable and appropriate for inference making. These issues are becoming increasingly crucial for developmentalists to understand, particularly in the current political climate that questions the legitimacy of gender diversity and restricts rights of trans and nonbinary youth. This panel will be moderated by Marion K. Underwood, PhD (Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences, Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University), a peer relations researcher with expertise in gender development.

Sub Unit

• Sex, Gender

Moderator

• Marion K. Underwood, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Panelists

• Allycen Kurup, Purdue University, West Lafayette

• Will Beischel, Université de Sherbrooke

• Selin Gülgöz, Fordham University

• Michele Morningstar, Queen’s University