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Sociology of gender is a subfield of sociology. As one of the most important social structures is status (position that an individual possesses which effects how they are treated by society). One of the most important statuses an individual claims is gender. [ 1 ]
Gender is used as a means of describing the distinction between the biological sex and socialized aspects of femininity and masculinity. [9] According to West and Zimmerman, is not a personal trait; it is "an emergent feature of social situations: both as an outcome of and a rationale for various social arrangements, and as a means of legitimating one of the most fundamental divisions of society."
In the sociology of gender, the process whereby an individual learns and acquires a gender role in society is termed gender socialization. [9] [10] [11] Gender roles are culturally specific, and while most cultures distinguish only two (boy/man and girl/woman), others recognize more.
The authors differentiate between sex differences, caused by biological factors, and gender differences, which "reflect a complex interplay of psychological, environmental, cultural, and biological factors". [14] Gender identity is thus seen as a "psychological concept that refers to an individual's self-perception". [14]
By the end of this period, uses of "gender" outnumbered uses of "sex" in the social sciences, arts, and humanities. [1] It was in the 1970s that feminist scholars adopted the term gender as way of distinguishing "socially constructed" aspects of male–female differences (gender) from "biologically determined" aspects (sex). [1]
Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. [1] [2] The field now overlaps with queer studies and men's studies.
Sex differences in social capital are debated differences between men and women's ability to achieve their aims through social constructs such as trust, norms and networks. [1] Social capital is often seen as the missing link in development.
Gender-based medicine, also called "gender medicine", is the field of medicine that studies the biological and physiological differences between the human sexes and how that affects differences in disease. Traditionally, medical research has mostly been conducted using the male body as the basis for clinical studies.