At National Geographic, we have a nearly 130-year history of bringing stories about cultures and science to the forefront. The evolution of our societal thinking about gender — as well as newly revealed complexities about the science of gender — is no exception.
The story of gender plays out all around us. More and more, celebrities are shining a spotlight on the subject. But more quietly, our children, parents, teachers, medical professionals, and officials every day confront an array of issues with gender at the center. Everywhere we looked, in the U.S. and around the globe, individuals and organizations are fighting to redefine traditional gender roles, whether it is girls in war-torn Sierra Leone rejecting the cultural norm of female genital mutilation and child marriage, men in Sweden making use of extended paternal leave after having a child, or people who reject binary, boy-girl labels and find their true identity elsewhere on a gender spectrum.