Deconstructing sex: Strategies for undoing binary thinking in neuroendocrinology and behavior

• Published in: Hormones and behavior 2023-11, Vol.156, p.105441, Article 105441
• Main Authors: Massa, Megan G., Aghi, Krisha, Hill, MJ
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical Research; Communication; Deconstructing sex; Feminist science; Gender bias; Gender Identity; Humans; Neuroendocrinology; SABV; Sex; Sex as a biological variable; Sex differences; Sexed physiologies; Transsexualism; Ungendering
• ISSN: 0018-506X; 1095-6867; 1095-6867
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105441

The scientific community widely recognizes that “sex” is a complex category composed of multiple physiologies. Yet in practice, basic scientific research often treats “sex” as a single, internally consistent, and often binary variable. This practice occludes important physiological factors and processes, and thus limits the scientific value of our findings. In human-oriented biomedical research, the use of simplistic (and often binary) models of sex ignores the existence of intersex, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people and contributes to a medical paradigm that neglects their needs and interests. More broadly, our collective reliance on these models legitimizes a false paradigm of human biology that undergirds harmful medical practices and anti-trans political movements. Herein, we continue the conversations begun at the SBN 2022 Symposium on Hormones and Trans Health, providing guiding questions to help scientists deconstruct and rethink the use of “sex” across the stages of the scientific method. We offer these as a step toward a scientific paradigm that more accurately recognizes and represents sexed physiologies as multiple, interacting, variable, and unbounded by gendered preconceptions. We hope this paper will serve as a useful resource for scientists who seek a new paradigm for researching and understanding sexed physiologies that improves our science, widens the applicability of our findings, and deters the misuse of our research against marginalized groups. •“Sex” as a single, binary, coherent variable limits our scientific understandings.•Binary models of sex perpetuate the marginalization of gender/sex minorities.•Deconstructing “sex” identifies relevant variables obscured by sex category.•We offer ways to deconstruct “sex” and mitigate gender bias in scientific research.