Wren, B;
Launer, J;
Reiss, MJ;
Swanepoel, A;
Music, G;
(2019)
Can evolutionary thinking shed light on gender diversity?
BJPsych Advances
, 25
(6)
pp. 351-362.
10.1192/bja.2019.35.
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Abstract
Issues of sexual reproduction lie at the core of evolutionary thinking, which often places an emphasis on how individuals attempt to maximise the number of successful offspring that they can produce. At first sight, it may therefore appear that individuals who opt for gender-affirming medical interventions are acting in ways that are evolutionarily disadvantageous. However, there are persuasive hypotheses that might make sense of such choices in evolutionary terms and we explore these here. It is premature to claim knowledge of the extent to which evolutionary arguments can usefully be applied to issues of gender identity, although worth reflecting on the extent to which nature tends towards diversity in matters of sex and gender. The importance of acknowledging and respecting different views in this domain, as well as recognising both the uncertainty and likely multiplicity of causal pathways, has implications for clinicians. We make some suggestions about how clinicians might best respond when faced with requests from patients in this area.
Type: | Article |
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Title: | Can evolutionary thinking shed light on gender diversity? |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.1192/bja.2019.35 |
Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2019.35 |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
Keywords: | Gender identity, gender diversity, evolution, social evolution |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10080461 |
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