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Is it normal in medicine to refer to a baby's physical sex as its "gender"? I'm not looking to start a debate on whether that is right or wrong, just curious to know if that's the common usage or just this particular writer's preference.

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In medicine, at least in my experience, the terms are used fairly interchangeably.

I wonder why that is.

Similar with scientists in my experience. Though it's more easily explained as the older generation sees the terms as interchangeable or not worth arguing about. The younger generation tends to use sex specifically and might call out improper use of gender.

// "MICE DON'T HAVE GENDER!!!!" <- something I've heard at high volume too many times

Interesting the way it changes within a couple of generations, the "older generation" in my day, i.e. my dad - a linguist - would call out the then-modern interchangeable usage, by insisting "nouns have a gender, people have a sex!"

Seems common to use both (I've heard gender used by doctors many times when it should probably technically be sex). To me gender means "male or female" but sex means "male or female or f*cking." I assume lots of people think that way and that's why they prefer the word gender.

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