Is gender truly stable? Longitudinal changes in gender identity in a Dutch community sample

Gender has been conceptualized as a stable individual trait in developmental psychology. Consequently, little is known about potential gender identity changes in adolescence and early adulthood. This study explored 1) whether and how frequent changes in gender identity occur and 2) what these changes look like. Using eight-wave longitudinal data, Dutch youth (N=933; Mage=18.72, SD=3.73) reported their gender identity repeatedly. Results showed that approximately one out of 20 youth changed their gender identity at least once, with several changing multiple times during the study. Whereas some youth changed between binary options (i.e., boy/man or girl/woman), others (also) considered nonbinary identities – either by identifying as such or through various self-descriptions. Youth also used other ways to communicate potential gender-expansiveness, including self-describe, ‘prefer not to say’ and missing data patterns. Our findings highlight gender identity as dynamic and contextual construct that continues to change beyond childhood and should be recognized as such.