The word "gender" refers to the social, cultural, and psychological characteristics and behaviors that a society considers appropriate for men and women. It encompasses the roles, expectations, and identities that are associated with being male or female in a given culture. Gender is distinct from biological sex, which refers to the physical differences between male and female bodies.
The word "gender" comes from the Latin word "genus," meaning "kind" or "type." It initially referred to grammatical categories in language but evolved to encompass social classifications of people based on their roles and behaviors.