The number of adolescents with gender dysphoria has been rising sharply for years. This is evident at the specialized outpatient clinic for gender identity at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf. Psychological psychotherapist Saskia Fahrenkrug observes two developments: more and more young people are coming forward because they suffer from the discrepancy between their experienced gender and the sex assigned at birth. And the gender ratio has shifted.
In the past, the distribution was largely balanced. Today, the majority of patients are biological girls – around 80 percent of adolescents in the clinic were assigned female at birth and now identify as male, i.e., as trans boys. Fahrenkrug reported this in an interview with Zeit.
However, the high number in treatment does not reflect the actual distribution. Girls tend to seek professional help earlier and more often than boys. The timing of coming out also plays a role: boys come out earlier on average than trans girls.
One reason could be that girls have to confront their bodies earlier – reinforced by societal expectations and beauty ideals. The dynamic between gender identity and puberty raises questions: Is being female perceived as a particular challenge? And is masculinity valued more highly in society? Experts discuss these connections, but there are no clear answers.
Source: www.zeit.de
