114 Making Connections (IntroPSYC and SDG5): Gender Equality
By Meghan E. Norris and Riley J.T. Bonar
Questions pertaining to “who am I?” have been asked for centuries, and likely longer. The words “Know thyself” were inscribed in ancient Greek in the Temple of Apollo. This unit takes a modern psychological scientific approach to exploring topics related to self and identity.
Sex and gender are two topics that we explore in this unit. It is important that we define these concepts, as they are sometimes misunderstood. Here we share the definitions of sex and gender provided by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2023):
Sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals. It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy. Sex is usually categorized as female or male but there is variation in the biological attributes that comprise sex and how those attributes are expressed.
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, expressions and identities of girls, women, boys, men, and gender diverse people. It influences how people perceive themselves and each other, how they act and interact, and the distribution of power and resources in society. Gender identity is not confined to a binary (girl/woman, boy/man) nor is it static; it exists along a continuum and can change over time. There is considerable diversity in how individuals and groups understand, experience and express gender through the roles they take on, the expectations placed on them, relations with others and the complex ways that gender is institutionalized in society.
The content from this unit connects with SDG 5: Gender Equality. Gender equality is a fundamental human right according to the UN, and under the Ontario Human Rights Code, discrimination and harassment because of gender identity or gender expression is against the law.
Did you know, in 2025, in Canada, women aged 15 years and older still only earned, on average, 88 cents for every dollar earned by men. These wage gaps are wider for racialized and Indigenous women with racialized women earning, on average, 78 cents per dollar as compared to non-Indigenous and non-racialized men. Indigenous women earned, on average, 79 cents to the dollar as compared to non-Indigenous and non-racialized men (Statistics Canada, 2026).
Globally, 43.7% of married women do not hold decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health, and 35% of women between 15-49 years of age have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.
Connecting this SDG with psychological science, we invite you to watch this optional video of a panel hosted by the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard, and moderated by Dr. Sari van Anders, Canada 150 Research Chair in Social Neuroendocrinology, Sexuality, & Gender/Sex Professor of Psychology, Gender Studies, & Neuroscience at Queen’s University. In this panel, scholars working to promote gender equality discuss how scholars, practitioners, and community members can include marginalized genders in the quest for gender equality.
In addition to the work of Dr. van Anders, the Department of Psychology at Queen’s University has Clinical Psychologists conducting work in this area. Dr. Meredith Chivers’ research research focuses on sexual attractions, sexual response, and sexual functioning, and the influence of gender and sex on these aspects of our sexualities. Her current work focuses on the neurocognitive factors associated with sexual response in women with and without sexual difficulties.
Dr. Caroline Pukall focuses on sexual wellbeing. Her research streams include genitopelvic dysesthesias, specifically vulvodynia and persistent genital arousal disorder, the development of patient-reported outcome measures in the areas of sexual health and wellbeing, treatment outcome, and sexual psychophysiology. She intentionally adopts an inclusive lens in her research, representing sexually and gender minoritized samples as well as other marginalized groups.
It is important for you to know, as a student in psychology, that the Canadian Psychological Association published a position statement in 2022 titled “Promotion of Gender Diversity and Expression and Prevention of Gender-Related Hate and Harm.” In it, the CPA endorses the following call “this policy statement calls on legislators, policy makers, and agencies and individuals who deliver health and human services to assert their commitments to protect gender diversity and human rights” (p.3). Although not required reading for this course, we invite you to read this policy statement if this is an area of interest for you.
As we close this unit, we want to remind you about the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists (4th Edition). Remember that the first principle in this code of ethics is respect for the dignity of persons and peoples. As you progress through your degree and work, consider whether there are systemic factors influencing inequitable treatment of individuals. If you encounter tough situations where the next best step isn’t clear, please know you are in good company. To help with ethical decision making, the Canadian Psychological Association has a process for ethical decision making within the ethics code that includes opportunities for self-reflection. We encourage you to review it within the broader document (p. 4-5), but have included the steps below for your easy reference:
“1. Identification of the individuals and groups potentially affected by the decision.
- Identification of ethically relevant issues and practices, including the moral rights, values, wellbeing, best interests, and any other relevant characteristics of the individuals and groups involved as well as the cultural, social, historical, economic, institutional, legal or political context or other circumstances in which the ethical problem arose.
- Consideration of how one’s own biases, external pressures, personal needs, self-interest, or cultural, social, historical, economic, institutional, legal, or political context and background, might influence the development of or choice between courses of action.
- Development of alternative courses of action.
- Analysis of likely short-term, ongoing, and long-term risks and benefits of each course of action on the individuals and groups involved or likely to be affected, taking into account relevant individual and cultural, social, historical, economic, institutional, legal, and political contextual factors.
- Choice of course of action after conscientious application of existing principles, values, and standards (which includes but would not be limited to relevant laws and regulations).
- Action, with a commitment to assume responsibility for the consequences of the action.
- Evaluation of the results of the course of action.
- Assumption of responsibility for consequences of action, including correction of negative consequences, if any, or re-engaging in the decision-making process if the ethical issue is not resolved.
- Appropriate action, as warranted and feasible, to prevent future occurrences of the dilemma (e.g., communication and problem solving with colleagues and team members or other collaborators; changes in procedures and practices).
Psychologists engaged in time-consuming deliberation are encouraged and expected to consult with the individuals and groups affected by the ethical problem when appropriate. In addition, they are encouraged and expected to consult with colleagues or relevant others, including advisory bodies, when such individuals or groups can add knowledge or objectivity to the decision-making process. Although the decision for action remains with the individual psychologist, the seeking and consideration of such assistance reflects an ethical approach to ethical decision making.
Even with all of the above, psychologists may be faced with ethical dilemmas that are still difficult to resolve. In these circumstances, psychologists are encouraged and expected to engage in an ethical decision-making process that is explicit enough to bear public scrutiny. In some of these cases, resolution might be a matter of personal conscience. However, decisions of personal conscience are also expected to be the result of a decision-making process that is based on a reasonably coherent set of ethical principles and that can bear public scrutiny. If the psychologist can demonstrate that every reasonable effort was made to apply the ethical principles of this Code and resolution of the conflict has had to depend on the personal conscience of the psychologist, such a psychologist would be deemed to have followed this Code.”
References:
Bosse, J., Sinacore, A., & Stockdale, K. (2023). Promotion of gender diversity and expression and prevention of gender-related hate and harm. Canadian Psychological Association. https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Position/Gender%20Diversity%20Report%20EN%202023%20Final.pdf
Canadian Psychological Association. (2017). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists (4th ed.). https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Ethics/CPA_Code_2017_4thEd.pdf
Canadian Institutes of Health Research. (2023). What is sex? What is gender? https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48642.html
Government of Canada. (2026). The gender wage gap exists. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/9084-gender-wage-gap-persists
Ontario Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). Gender identity and gender expression. https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/your-rights/code-grounds/gender-identify-gender-expression
United Nations. (n.d.). Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/
How to cite this using APA Style:
Norris, M. E., & Bonar, R. J. T. (2026). Making connections (IntroPSYC and SDG 5): Gender equality. In PSYC 100: Principles of psychology. eCampusOntario. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/testbookje/chapter/making-connections-intropsyc-and-sdg5-gender-equality/
