Gender Marginality in Adolescence

Marginality, broadly defined, refers to the experience of being on the metaphorical edges of a society due to a particular set of characteristics that deviate from what is accepted by the mainstream. Therefore, gender marginality refers to the disparate social experiences of individuals based on gender identity (i.e., an individual’s personal sense of identification as male or as female, another gender, or somewhere in between) or one’s gender expression (i.e., an individual’s external display of gender through dress, demeanor, and social behavior). This entry discusses gender as a social construction and briefly introduces gender marginality research, with a focus on gender marginality during adolescence. Given that adolescence is a sensitive time of identity development and social belongingness, it is important to understand the unique impact ...