Introduction What is male? What is female? The answers to these questions may depend on the types of gender roles you were exposed to as a child. “Are boys usually good at physics?” "A girl and a gaming freak?” “Ever seen a boy playing with a kitchen set?” “Motorbikes are not for girls.’’ It is usually said that boys and girls are different in many aspects, be it in terms of nature, physical abilities, dressing, interests etc. Despite these mega differences, the two sexes have numerous similarities. Both wear jeans, both drink and smoke, play common sports etc. When we are confronted with two of anything, we tend to compare more than when we have three of the same. Thus we would be less likely to emphasize sex differences if there were at least three sexes. People still continue to debate whether sex comparisons should be made. Many sex comparisons have been made in cognitive abilities: Who has better spatial abilities? Who has greater aptitude in math? There are various other stereotypes in a society which differentiates both the two sexes. We are taught from the very begin which gender role to fit into. There is also a research that compares men’s and women’s emotions and morality. I review the related areas of research. Thesis Sex refers to physical or physiological differences between males and females, including both their primary and secondary sex characteristics. Gender, on the other hand, refers to social or cultural distinctions associated with being male or female. Scholars generally regard gender as a social construct - meaning that it does not exist naturally, but is instead a concept that is created by culture and societal norms. As we grow, we learn how to behave from those around us. In this socialization process, children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex. In a society, boys and girls often have to fit into their gender roles. The term gender role refers to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and behave. Masculine roles are usually associated with strength, aggression, and dominance, while feminine roles are usually associated with passivity, nurturing, and subordination. Conflict can arise when someone does not feel at ease with his or her gender role It’s the 21st century but boys still like trucks and girls still like dolls. Increasingly, we are told that the source of these robust preferences must lie outside society-in prenatal hormonal influences, brain chemistry, genes-and that feminism has reached its natural limits. What else could possibly explain the love of pre-school girls for party dresses or the desire of toddler boys to own more guns? Toys play an important part in defining gender roles. If parents buy girls dolls, dollhouses, high-heeled shoes, and makeup, they give one set of messages. If they buy boys chemistry sets, tool kits, doctor’s bags, building blocks, and wheel toys, they give another set of messages. Children learn roles and skills from playing; the toys they have to some extent determine which roles and skills they learn. A Barbie represents - being sexy, thin, stylish whereas other male oriented toys like jiaijos represents- being muscular and brave etc. So boys are more into such types of toys and not barbies. Cross-cultural studies reveal that children are aware of gender roles by age two or three, and at four or five, most children are firmly entrenched in culturally appropriate gender roles. Recent studies claim to show small cognitive differences be­tween the sexes: he gets around by orienting himself in space, she does it by remembering landmarks. Even toys of girls are pink and purple, and boys’ toys, blues, grays, and blacks. They begin labeling objects as “for girls” or “for boys” and conform to what is expected of them. Children will most likely choose to play with "gender appropriate" toys even when cross-gender toys are available because parents give children positive feedback (in the form of praise, involvement, and physical closeness) for gender normative behavior. Parental and Environmental Influence Children look to their parents for examples and role models. Thus the first major exposure to gender roles typically comes from a child’s parents. Parents may encourage children to participate in sex-typed play, gender specific clothing, model gender normative behavior, both unintentionally and intentionally. The process by which children acquire the values, motives, and behaviors viewed as appropriate for males and females within a culture is called gender typing. Parents are strictly against boys playing with dolls and the various reasons for it are: - socially unacceptable; - confused gender role - could foster fem