Grammatical categories, like all scientific phenomena, have passed through different stages of development and modification, and gender is no exception. This category is deeply rooted in the history of linguistic studies from the time of the Greeks to present day. This study tries to trace the history of this linguistic phenomenon in the Western and Arab schools of linguistics. A chronological basis is followed in the presentation of ideas for each school. Every major contribution is discussed, compared and evaluated in light of modern theory of linguistic gender. The study is concluded with a summary of the literature in both schools of thought which show how each school is characterized by peculiar features in the approach followed in the analysis of nominal systems.