Being male or female is an important basic human variable that affects health and illness throughout life.1 Men and women differ not only with regard to their reproductive organs and bodies but also in the way they think, feel, and behave. The physical difference is called sex, influenced by genes and biology; the psychological difference is called gender, in which environmental, cultural, and psychosocial factors also have a prominent role. Researchers are just beginning to unravel the complex interactions between sex and gender, and the roles of nature and nuture are still unclear.
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