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The terms employed most frequently to describe the differences between men and women are ‘sex’ and ‘gender’. Sex refers to the differing physical attributes of women and men (Lee, Shaw). The categories of sex are male and female. In every society sex differences are given social meanings. Social identity, which is confessed on the basis of assumed sexual differences, is called "gender" (Lee, Shaw). ... "Gender" is the term now widely used to refer to those ways in which a culture reformulates what begins as a fact of nature (Lee, Shaw). ...
For most people, gender and physical characteristics are the same, unchangeable and ‘natural’, and there is also a general perception that gender refers to women only. ... Gender differences refer to culturally formed traits of masculinity and femininity, that is, the characteristic forms of behavior expected respectively of men and women in any given culture (Lee, Shaw). Gender differences are by no means determined by sex differences. ... Thus, gender differences are to be found in the modes of dress and speech, the behavioral patterns, the roles, the emotions, the skills, and so on, and are related to other differences such as race, ethnicity, class, nation and others (Lee, Shaw). Gender differences, in spite of being constructed in complex ways, are not unchangeable. ... To this, one could add that most aspects related to gender differences over time vary and have changed across cultures.
The pressure of gender conformity can be very strongly felt by both girls and boys. ...
Nowadays, the significance and pervasiveness of gender differences remain. However, in the last two decades or so, the distinction between sex and gender differences became clear. ... Actually, by speaking of "gender" as the culturally and historically variable, which are attributed to "sex", feminists were to argue that those meanings could be changed.
Approximate Word count = 1437
Approximate Pages = 5.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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