gender symbol Mars symbol Venus symbol Consists of a circle with a small cross below it. It originates in Late Antiquity as an astrological symbol for the planet Venus (associated with the goddess Venus), and hence as an old and obsolete alchemical symbol for copper. In modern times, it is still used as the astronomical symbol for Venus, although its use is discouraged by the International Astronomical Union. In zoology and botany, it is used to represent the female sex (alongside the astrological symbol for Mars representing the male sex), following a convention introduced by Linnaeus in the 1750s. Following the biological convention, the symbol in the 20th century also came to be used in sociological contexts to represent women or femininity. Venus symbols