In our society today, men and women play distinctly different roles that are based on nothing more than their biological gender. While these roles do not apply to every individual, most people live their lives in accordance with these extremely pervasive roles. Society tends to assign social role classes to "male" individuals and social role classes to "female" individuals (how society perceives their genders). These gender roles limit what both males and females can and cannot do. Gender roles enslave individuals and force them to be what others want them to be. They are perpetuated and reinforced by the mass media and society at large in many ways, some obvious and some more subtle. In many societies there is a strong tendency to exaggerate these gender roles, and it often seems to go from a valid observation to a false conclusion. Individuals within a culture are expected to conform to these "norms" and are socialized in ways that constantly reinforce the beliefs and behaviors that are prescribed and assumed for them. We live in a sexually repressive society, but to free themselves from these constraints, people must define their sexuality on their own terms, and not be manipulated and dominated by cultural "norms" of beauty, desirability, and behavior. Gender role is a social construction of a particular cultural group's expectations regarding another person's behaviors, attitudes, values, and beliefs based on their perceived biological sex. Biological factors have a strong impact on the occupations that society deems appropriate for both men and women. The problem... half the paper... LA (1998). The distribution of housework among gay, lesbian, and heterosexual married couples. In DL Anselmi & AL Law(eds.), Gender issues (pp. 582-591). Boston: McGraw-Hill. McIntosh, P. (1998). White privilege and male privilege. In MLAndersen and P. Hill Collins (eds.), Race, class, and gender: Anantology (3/e). Boston: Wadsworth, pp. 94-105.Plous, S. (2003). Understanding prejudice and discrimination. Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp. 507-536. Pollack, W. (1998). Real guys. New York: Henry Holt, pp. 3-64,272-337. Schiebinger, L. (1993). The Body of Nature: Gender in the Creation of Modern Science. Boston: Beacon, pp. 11-39, 143-183. Steinem, G. (1998). If men could menstruate. In M. L. Andersen & P. ​​Hill Collins (eds.), Race, Class and Gender: An anthology (3/e). Boston: Wadsworth, pp. 428-429