Gender identity is commonly defined as an individual's sense of being a male or a female. Formany, gender identities are aligned with physical sex characteristics including hormones, chromosomes, genitalia, and secondary sex characteristics, as well as with sex assignment and gender roles. For others, gender identities do not match one or more sex or gender traits. Several variations on this concept of gender identity exist. For example, the social identity perspective defines gender identity as the degree of awareness and acceptance of one's own gender category. Alternatively, symbolic interactionists consider gender identities as self-concepts based on fulfillment of gender roles.

Multidimensional models of gender identity illustrate the complexity and breadth of gender identity. For example, Susan Egan and David Perry offer a model of gender identity ...