Sentence:  To say truth, I have never had any great esteem for the generality of the fair sex; and my only consolation for being of that <WSD>gender</WSD>, has been the assurance it gave me of never being married to any one among them .... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Sex (a category such as "male" or "female" into which sexually-reproducing organisms are divided on the basis of their reproductive roles in their species). (from 15th c.)