Sex assignment (sometimes known as gender assignment) is the determination of an infant's sex at birth. In the majority of births, a relative, midwife, nurse or physician inspects the genitalia when the baby is delivered, and sex is assigned, without the expectation of ambiguity. Assignment may also be done prior to birth through prenatal sex discernment.
Sex assignment at birth usually aligns with a child's anatomical sex and phenotype. The number of births where the baby does not fit into strict definitions of male and female amount to roughly 1.7%, of which 0.02% are due to visibly ambiguous genitals. Other reasons include atypical chromosomes, gonads or hormones. These conditions are collectively called intersex and may complicate sex assignment. Reinforcing sex assignments through surgical or hormonal interventions is often considered to violate the individual's human rights.The act of assignment carries the implicit expectation that future gender identity will develop in alignment with the physical anatomy, assignment, and rearing. In about 99% of cases, the child's gender identity matches their sex assignment. If sex assignment and gender identity do not align, the person may be transgender or gender non-conforming (GNC). The sex assignment of an intersex individual may also contradict their future gender identity.
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