Gender expression varies within diverse gender identities in adolescents and adults
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: Gender is typically considered in psychological science using limited categorical identities that do not necessarily capture the experiences of gender diverse people. Gender expression, in contrast to social identities, is generally understood as continuous, and even within a categorical gender identity, variation in gender typicality is well-established. Yet, the way individuals integrate identity, expression, and experiences is complex and likely subject to changing social norms. This study examines patterns of variance in dimensional measures of gender expression within and between diverse gender identity categories. We compare results across two data sets spanning adolescence and adulthood: a sample of diverse adolescents throughout the United States (N=10,120) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) dataset, and a convenience sample of adults oversampled for diverse gender identities and sexual orientations (N=1,405). Across both samples, our results revealed variance in gender expression within categorical gender identities and overlap in gender expression between categories, with less pronounced differences between sexual orientation categories in adults than in adolescents. We find both variation and consistency in gender expression across age cohorts, potentially informing the development of gender expression over time. These results illustrate the importance of recognizing gender as complex spectra to better represent diverse personal experiences.
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4407198963