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gryphonseggSome notes about sexual development and gender (or lack thereof) for the sapient species from the planet Achiem:
Achiemites have no external indications of sex at birth and for several years afterward. Most individuals will eventually experience a rapid weight gain over the course of half a year to one year and two-thirds, followed by the first signs of sex differentiation and the onset of puberty. Poor nutrition can delay puberty indefinitely.
Even where food is plentiful, a small fraction of the population never undergoes puberty. In such cases, sex organs do not develop, although neurological development proceeds as normal unless impeded by other factors. Although cognitive abilities are usually on par with their age-peers, such individuals are not perceived as fully adult in some cultures. Few nations remain where sexless individuals who have reached the Achiem equivalent of twenty-five years old are legally treated as minors, but there are many societies where social norms lag behind the law in recognizing the equality of apubescent adults.
In general, extremely good nutrition for a local population correlates with a higher proportion of individuals developing female reproductive organs. So does colder climate, although this correlation is not as strong as the other. Societies where most of the population receives barely adequate food supplies tend toward most young people beginning puberty later, with more than half of them developing male reproductive organs.
Regardless of the amount and quality of food available, a small but consistent fraction of the sapient population (around 3.5-5.0%) develops mixed, incomplete, or otherwise ambiguous sex characteristics. Such individuals are almost always infertile. They have traditionally been regarded as adult in all historical cultures, though some cultures have been known to attach shame to some or all of the possible intersex conditions.
Recent (ca. last 200 years by Earth reckoning) developments in biomedical technology make it possible for people in the more prosperous countries to bring on puberty early and to select an individual’s sex. Some governments mandate this treatment for individuals who remain apubescent beyond the typical age in spite of adequate nutrition. Individuals who have received such treatment have a higher rate of developing ambiguous sex organs (8-12%), lower fertility, increased rates of pregnancy complications or miscarriage or difficult birth, and greater chances of developing reproductive cancer.
Few of the native Achiemite languages have grammatical gender or even gender concepts. Most Achiemites do not have a sense of gender identity growing up. Even after puberty, most individuals from this world never develop a strong sense of gender identity comparable to the norms and expectations of gender identity on Earth.
Achiemites have no external indications of sex at birth and for several years afterward. Most individuals will eventually experience a rapid weight gain over the course of half a year to one year and two-thirds, followed by the first signs of sex differentiation and the onset of puberty. Poor nutrition can delay puberty indefinitely.
Even where food is plentiful, a small fraction of the population never undergoes puberty. In such cases, sex organs do not develop, although neurological development proceeds as normal unless impeded by other factors. Although cognitive abilities are usually on par with their age-peers, such individuals are not perceived as fully adult in some cultures. Few nations remain where sexless individuals who have reached the Achiem equivalent of twenty-five years old are legally treated as minors, but there are many societies where social norms lag behind the law in recognizing the equality of apubescent adults.
In general, extremely good nutrition for a local population correlates with a higher proportion of individuals developing female reproductive organs. So does colder climate, although this correlation is not as strong as the other. Societies where most of the population receives barely adequate food supplies tend toward most young people beginning puberty later, with more than half of them developing male reproductive organs.
Regardless of the amount and quality of food available, a small but consistent fraction of the sapient population (around 3.5-5.0%) develops mixed, incomplete, or otherwise ambiguous sex characteristics. Such individuals are almost always infertile. They have traditionally been regarded as adult in all historical cultures, though some cultures have been known to attach shame to some or all of the possible intersex conditions.
Recent (ca. last 200 years by Earth reckoning) developments in biomedical technology make it possible for people in the more prosperous countries to bring on puberty early and to select an individual’s sex. Some governments mandate this treatment for individuals who remain apubescent beyond the typical age in spite of adequate nutrition. Individuals who have received such treatment have a higher rate of developing ambiguous sex organs (8-12%), lower fertility, increased rates of pregnancy complications or miscarriage or difficult birth, and greater chances of developing reproductive cancer.
Few of the native Achiemite languages have grammatical gender or even gender concepts. Most Achiemites do not have a sense of gender identity growing up. Even after puberty, most individuals from this world never develop a strong sense of gender identity comparable to the norms and expectations of gender identity on Earth.
