How do we learn to be male or female? Popular ideology suggests that male and female are opposites. Males and females receive different socialization based on their sex category, which in turn affects...

How do we learn to be male or female? Popular ideology suggests that male and female are opposites. Males and females receive different socialization based on their sex category, which in turn affects growth and development. Gendered socialization refers to how we are taught to be male or female. This continues from birth to death, and individuals act on cultural expectations for gender. Gender polarization refers to society’s organization by gender, which touches every other aspect of life. Gender is constructed within the context of a group and is ongoing and changing over time. A gender role is the attitudes, behaviors, and traits associated with being male or female.