Chapter 5: Gender
Stratification by sex is a feature found in most societies, with men generally being in a more dominant position in society than women.

Men have traditionally been seen in a wide range of active and creative roles – as warriors, hunters, and workers, as political leaders or successful business executives, as scientists, engineers, inventors, and great artists.

Women have traditionally been seen as housewives and mothers confined to the home and caring for their husbands and children. Even when working outside the home, women's jobs often seem to be an extension of their caring role in the home, looking after others as receptionists, secretaries, nurses, teachers, and social workers.

Are these differences simply an extension of the biological make-up of males and females, or are they a product of the ways that males and females are brought up in society? (Nature vs. Nurture)

SEX AND GENDER

• Sex: (whether someone is male or female) refers to the natural or biological differences between men and women, such as difference in genitals, internal reproductive organs, and body hair.

• Gender: (whether someone is masculine or feminine) refers to the cultural, socially constructed differences between the two sexes. It refers to the way a society encourages and teaches the two sexes to behave in different ways through socialization.

• Gender role: is the pattern of behavior and activity which society expects from individuals of either sex – how a boy/man or girl/woman should behave in society. Gender roles may sometimes be referred to as sex roles.

• Gender identity: refers to how much people see themselves, and others see them, in terms of their gender roles and biological sex.

The differences between the terms 'sex' and 'gender' is best illustrated by the case of transsexuals: people who biologically belong to