Male and Female are different in so many ways, not only in their “sex,” as Bate and Bowker say is what makes them different at birth and that it is their “gender” that makes them into presentable male and females in society (211-212). Parents and parental figures alike have a great influence on the norms that are learned during child hood that effect what others qualify as “appropriate behaviors” for members of the same sex (212). Gender norms are learned and as the child begins to feel comfortable in a certain type of group or affiliation and begin to find the boundaries of what society says is acceptable. Many traits of gender behavior are learned through the parents and what the child picks up as appropriate behavior.

Children begin to find their areas of comfort in society and develop their social skills and behavior that they believe to be appropriate and in some cases requires them to adopt both male and female norms to do so. “Androgyny” means male and female, and is a characteristic that some individuals learn because of the environment that they are presented with (230). My sister is 17 and was always looking up to me in sports and always trying to beat me at everything I tried. She always wore boy’s clothes and athletic gear and never thought about being girly for one second. Laughing at the thought of dance and cheer leading, she wanted to be on the basketball court trying to beat the boys. It wasn’t until she entered high school when she began to start learning to be a girl when I had left for school and she had my mother as her influence instead of me. She developed an androgyny personality that she can use to perform at sports in a male gender orientated norm. Turn around and go get manicures and facials with my mom after the game, in her female acceptable role. Danica Patrick is the most popular female example in our society. She is an Indy Race Car Driver and the only female to participate amongst the fleet of male competitors. She has a female personality but her counterpart male behavior makes her a feared competitor. These behaviors are present in society everywhere you turn and can be found in male and female dominate activities.