What's happening?

"A man is a man and a woman is a woman." People clapped as British leader Rishi Sunak spoke at a meeting for the Conservative PartyA British political party. Members are known as Tories..

There was a very different response from transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). rights activistsPeople who campaign for social or political change. Greta Thunberg sailed to New York for a meeting instead of flying.. They worry that his words might lead to more hate crimesA crime that is motivated by who the victim is, for example prejudice towards their race, sexuality, religion or other characteristics. against transgender people.

This debate centres around a key question: is gender based on biology or is it a social construct that can be changed?

The idea that gender is a social construct means that the world around us, rather than just biology, shape gender roles and identities. This includes the behaviours and roles that we think of as being linked to being a woman or a man.

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Some argue that differences in behaviour between men and women are due to biology, including hormones such as testosteroneThe hormone that causes people to develop male sexual characteristics. Women also produce some testosterone. and oestrogenFemale sex hormones. After the menopause, these can increase the risk of cancer..

On the other hand, some argue that society takes biological differences and turns them into strict ideas about how men and women behave. These ideas about gender may not be true in many cases. And people with gender dysphoriaFeelings of discomfort or stress a person feels due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth.  experience deep unhappiness because their gender identity does not match the sex they were labelled at birth.

Throughout history and across different cultures, gender roles have gone through huge changes. For instance, high heel shoes were once worn by both men and women, and the colour pink was once linked to boys and blue to girls.

Some expertsSomeone who knows a lot about a particular subject. suggest that children learn from a young age how to "do" gender - and that toys, media and adverts then reinforce these ideas.

Yes! Gender roles and ideas about gender can be very different in different places. This shows that gender is based on the societies we live in.

No! Biology is still very important. The hormones testosterone and oestrogen are a major factor.