Gender and gender identity

The World Health Organisation (WHO) refers to gender as:

Socially constructed characteristics associated with men and women including behaviours, norms, and roles.

Gender identity is described by WHO as:

A person’s individual, internal, and deeply felt experience of gender. It’s also about how they present their gender identity.

Gender and gender reassignment are legally protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Gender identity is a spectrum that includes the binary genders, that is to say, man and woman, and a broad range of non-binary gender identities, including, but not limited to, people that identify as:

  • non-binary
  • gender fluid
  • genderqueer

Watch the Gender and Gender Identity Toolkit webinar for more information:

You can switch on subtitles once you have started to play the video. A menu will appear on the video screen.

Download webinar presentation


Page last updated: 15 February 2024

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