Document Summary
Gender and sex are often used interchangably, but this is incorrect. Sex consists of the biological characteristics that distinguish females from males, whereas gender is the social characteristics considered proper for females and males. While sex is based in biological characteristics, gender is a completely socially contructed concept. The difference between sex and gender explains the differences between them, but the concept of gender being socially constructed may be slightly difficult to understand at first. A term that further explains gender"s social construction is gender socialization. Gender socialization is the process in which people learn to behave in a particular way as dictated by societal values, beliefs, and attitudes. This process is something that every person goes through, perhaps in different ways based on location in the world and other outside factors such as religion and reference groups. For example, when cisgender men are young, they are oftentimes given trucks and sports-themed toys, beginning their gender socialization.
