The concepts of gender and gender are often confused, but meanwhile, between them there is a quite significant, albeit non-obvious, difference. Let us try to determine what is a gender attribute and what is its difference from gender. We can say that the biological gender - male and female - is an innate quality of the individual, which is revealed even at the stage of embryonic development; that the sexual attribute is unchanging, and independent of the will of the individual. But is it that simple? Indeed, recently, with the help of modern medicine, you can change the gender. And the presence at birth of one or another genitals in a child does not mean that it can be unambiguously placed in the category of boys or girls. Indeed, now, for example, in a survey of athletes participating in competitions between women, not only obvious female signs of their body are taken into account, but also a chromosome set, since it is found that male hormones are adjacent to female genital organs, and this gives such athletes some competitive advantages.
And yet, if the sex in most people is still biological and anatomical, the gender trait is clearly social, social, and acquired as a result of upbringing. In simpler terms, this can be reformulated as follows: male and female babies are born, but they become men and women. And the point is not even how to raise a child from the cradle - a girl or a boy: the cultural unconscious of our environment affects us all. And since gender is a cultural and social phenomenon, it can undergo changes along with the development of culture and society. For example, back in the 19th century it was believed that a woman wears a dress and long hair, and a man wears trousers and a short hairstyle, but now these things are not a sign of gender. Previously, the “female academician”, “female politician” and “business woman” were considered incredible, but now this is happening more and more often, and no one is surprised.
But, nevertheless, the gender attribute attributed to men and women is still tenacious in the mass consciousness, and the less developed the society, the more it dominates individuals, imposing them certain forms of social behavior. So, it is believed that a man should be a “getter for the family” and must earn more than his wife. It is also believed that a man should be courageous, assertive, aggressive, engage in "male" professions, get involved in sports and fishing, and pursue a career at work. The woman is attributed to be feminine, soft, emotional, to marry, have children, to be flexible and compliant, to engage in “female” professions, making a rather modest career in them, because she should devote the main time to the family.
These stereotypes, which, alas, still prevail in some strata and even countries, give rise to gender problems for human individuals. Wife nursing the whole family; a husband on maternity leave to care for a newborn; a woman who sacrifices marriage for a successful academic career; a man who is fond of embroidery - all of them, to one degree or another, are subjected to social ostracism for their inappropriate sex behavior. Is it possible to say unequivocally that gender is a social stereotype? Yes, because in different societies, gender stereotypes - male and female - differ from each other. For example, in the Spanish paradigm, being able to cook is a sign of a real macho, while in Slavic standing at the stove is a purely female occupation.
It is obvious that gender stereotypes lead not only to gender problems, but also to discrimination on the basis of sex, since the leading role in society is often assigned to men. Therefore, many developed countries at the highest level are developing a special gender policy. This means that the state takes responsibility to eliminate gender inequality and creates a code of laws for the formation of an egalitarian (equal for all people) society. It should also conduct educational policies aimed at eliminating gender stereotypes.