Once a person has self-identified as female, social attitudes conspire to blur any distinction between her biological sex and socially assigned female gender roles, which for women tend to be either unpaid in the private sphere or severely limited in the public sphere. Many women are frightened into conformity by such labels. In this century, both the women's movement and the movement for gay, lesbian, and bisexual civil rights have raised gender issues in very new and different ways. One of the most helpful contributions they have offered is the distinction between sexual orientation, gender identity, gender roles, and gender expression. Many of our discussions around gender confuse these four elements.
Sexual orientation concerns the gender to which one is attracted.
Gender role refers to a socially constructed correlation between one's biology and one's skills, attitudes, interests, and behavior. Gender expression refers to the way people present themselves through their clothing, body language, and behaviors, whether as masculine, feminine, or other. Using this helpful lens, when we look at the realities of the creation around us, we discover a diversity for which we are not always prepared. We see different cultures that have entirely divergent expectations of male roles and female roles. We also find individuals who cannot authentically identify as male or female.