Chapter 12

gender socialization

Gender socialization occurs through four major agents of socialization: family, education, peer groups, and mass media. Each agent reinforces gender roles by creating and maintaining normative expectations for gender-specific behavior.

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Sex refers to physical or physiological differences between males and females, including both primary sex characteristics (the reproductive system) and secondary characteristics such as height and muscularity. Gender refers to behaviors, personal traits, and social positions that society attributes to being female or male.

The term sexuality is defined by the text as:

a person's capacity for sexual feelings.

What is the first agent of socialization?

family

he term sexual orientation can be defined as

is his or her physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female).