Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are created in our families, our societies and our cultures. The concept of gender also includes the expectations held about the characteristics, aptitudes and likely behaviours of both women and men (femininity and masculinity). 

Gender, on the other hand, involves how a person identifies. Unlike natal sex, gender is not made up of binary forms. Instead, gender is a broad spectrum. A person may identify at any point within this spectrum or outside of it entirely.

 Sex refers to a set of biological attributes in humans and animals. It is primarily associated with physical and physiological features including chromosomes, gene expression, hormone levels and function, and reproductive/sexual anatomy.

Sex” refers to the physical differences between people who are male, female, or intersex. A person typically has their sex assigned at birth based on physiological characteristics, including their genitalia and chromosome composition. This assigned sex is called a person’s “natal sex.”

People may identify with genders that are different from their natal sex or with none at all. These identities may include transgender, nonbinary, or gender-neutral. There are many other ways in which a person may define their own gender.

Gender also exists as social constructs — as gender “roles” or “norms.” These are defined Trusted Source as the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and attributes that a society considers appropriate for men and women.

 Gender theory is the study of what is understood as masculine and/or feminine and/or queer behavior in any given context, community, society, or field of study (including, but not limited to, literature, history, sociology, education, applied linguistics, religion, health sciences, philosophy, cultural studies 

In the 1960s, Robert Stoller, an American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who studied homosexuality, transexuality and intersexuality, was inspired by Money's work and borrowed the term “gender”. He coined the expression “gender identity” in his book Sex and Gender (STOLLER, 1984), which first appeared in 1968. 

As such, gender theory is based on performances of gender, and not exploring universal tendencies (Francis, 2000; Sunderland, 2004). Gender theory also places the valuation of experience as central in its usefulness and as a point from which to think and theorize about larger social, political, and economic processes. 

Macro-level sociology looks at large-scale social processes, such as social stability and change. Micro-level sociology looks at small-scale interactions between individuals, such as conversation or group dynamics. Micro- and macro-level studies each have their own benefits and drawbacks.

This established gender research and analysis enables us to examine and challenge social norms around what it means to be a woman or man in society, and to pursue justice and equality for all, which should be fundamental facets of development.

 Gender theories were used in eight different ways: 1. to test hypotheses, 2. integrate theories, 3. develop gender concepts and models, 4. interpret findings, 5. understand health problems, 6. illustrate the validity of other theories, 7. integrated into a gender blind theory, as well as to 8. critique of other gender theories. The strategies applied seemed independent of the health aspects of the papers.

• The interdisciplinary field of global health is an untapped reservoir of thinking around gender.
• Gender scholars in global health should critically revisit social constructivism in the practice of global health research, policy and programming.
• The practicality of good theory beyond social constructivism is a critical next step in global health.
• Critical rethinking of the epistemologies of biologies and sexes from an interdisciplinary global health perspective can usefully challenge our thinking in gender studies.
• Intersectionality, power and bipower, knowledge and governance are some of the areas where global health can contribute further.

Global health, therefore, has significant contribution to make to our understanding of gender far beyond health and medicine.

Hegemonic masculinity refers to a societal pattern in which stereotypically male traits are idealized as the masculine cultural ideal, explaining how and why men maintain dominant social roles over women and other groups considered to be feminine (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005).

This model conceives that the relationships among male individuals con- sist of four categories of masculinity: hegemony, subordination, complicity and marginalization. Connell affirms, “We must recognize the relations between the different kinds of masculinity: relations of alliance, dominance, and subordination.

Hegemonic masculinity affects international relations, domestic politics, military practices; education and sport; corporate governance and the emergence of transnational business masculinities, just to give a few examples.

Macro-level sociology looks at large-scale social processes, such as social stability and change. Micro-level sociology looks at small-scale interactions between individuals, such as conversation or group dynamics. Micro- and macro-level studies each have their own benefits and drawbacks.

This established gender research and analysis enables us to examine and challenge social norms around what it means to be a woman or man in society, and to pursue justice and equality for all, which should be fundamental facets of development.