Definitions Activity

Sexual harassment includes harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, self-identified or perceived sex, gender expression, gender identity and the status of being transgender. Click on each characteristic below to learn more.

+ Gender

+ Gender Identity

+ Gender Expression

Gender

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls, and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviors and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl, or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.

The legal definition of gender can vary depending on your location. For example, in New York City, “Gender” is defined to include actual or perceived sex, gender identity, and gender expression including a person’s actual or perceived gender-related self-image, appearance, behavior, expression, or other gender-related characteristic, regardless of the sex assigned to that person at birth.

Under California law, “Gender” is defined by statute to mean sex and includes a person’s gender identity and gender expression. You must be aware that the definition of gender may be different for your location. If you have any questions, please contact any supervisor, manager (including upper-level managers), or Human Resources.

Gender Identity

“Gender Identity” is a person’s internal understanding of and identification with gender, or the perception of a person’s gender identity, which may include male, female, a combination of male and female, neither male nor female, a gender different from the person’s sex assigned at birth, or transgender.

Gender Expression

“Gender expression” means a person’s gender-related appearance and behavior, or the perception of such appearance or behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth.