Sex assignment

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 gender is determined, without the expectation of ambiguity. Assignment may also be done prior to birth through prenatal sex discernment.

Even though the term assignment suggests a decision on the part of the parents or medical professionals, the act is almost universally considered an observation or recognition of an inherent aspect of a baby. In the majority of cases, the gender of rearing of the child matches the assigned gender. The act of assignment carries the implicit expectation that future gender identity will develop in the gender of anatomy, assignment, and rearing.

In some cases, the assigned sex or one or more of these related observations and conclusions are found to be incorrect. In the case of some transgender individuals, gender identity is not consistent with the assigned sex or sex of rearing.