Gender as a term is widely used to describe the difference between the social role and personal identity of the female/male biological sexes. One’s image, behaviour, and speech are all factors that help form representation and gender identity.

Consider this: is a female child born with the responsibility of domestic housekeeping? Is a male child naturally better suited for business and mathematics? Expectations based on gender vary by location, but most cultures and religious teachings still encourage traditional gender roles for women and men. However, social scientists believe that gender is constructed by the society we live in - that we learn how to "be" girls and boys, women and men, as well as feminine and masculine from the moment we take our first breath.
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Gender as a term is widely used to describe the difference between the social role and personal identity of the female/male biological sexes. One’s image, behaviour, and speech are all factors that help form representation and gender identity.

Consider this: is a female child born with the responsibility of domestic housekeeping? Is a male child naturally better suited for business and mathematics? Expectations based on gender vary by location, but most cultures and religious teachings still encourage traditional gender roles for women and men. However, social scientists believe that gender is constructed by the society we live in - that we learn how to "be" girls and boys, women and men, as well as feminine and masculine from the moment we take our first breath.

Legally speaking, a person's gender is important because it gives men and women the right to different privileges. In many countries, same-sex couples are not awarded the same legal rights and privileges as heterosexual couples. But indicating one gender or the other is not quite that easy. Male and female sexuality are not so easily identified with the existence of transgender (person who dresses as the opposite gender), transsexual (person who has undergone surgery to become the opposite gender), and intersex (person who possesses sexual characteristics of both male and female) identified people.

Gender oppression is a worldwide problem and is linked with other oppressions such as racism (discrimination based on race), classism (discrimination based on social status), and homophobia (fear of homosexuality). Unfortunately those working against oppressions are often misunderstood. Many people believe that human rights activists, academics, feminists, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people are upsetting social norms, destroying cultural traditions, and causing problems between men, women, and families. However, what is actually being promoted is the recognition and inclusion of diverse gender identities and the rights-based idea that we, regardless of sex or gender, all have the right to our own gender expression. (wiki)