Toward an account of gender identity

Jenkins, Katharine

Abstract

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.

Citation

Jenkins, K. (2018). Toward an account of gender identity. ERGO, 5(27), 713-744. https://doi.org/10.3998/ergo.12405314.0005.027

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 18, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 18, 2018
• Publication Date: Jul 18, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jul 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 20, 2018
• Journal: ERGO
• Electronic ISSN: 1802-2170
• Publisher: Michigan Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 27
• Pages: 713-744
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/ergo.12405314.0005.027
• Keywords: Gender; Gender Identity; Transgender; Trans rights; Conceptual engineering
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/947168
• Publisher URL: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ergo/12405314.0005.027?view=text;rgn=main