Final answer:
Behaviors and characteristics associated with males or females in a specific culture are referred to as one's gender, which is distinct from biological sex and varies across different societies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Behaviors and characteristics considered appropriate for a male or female in a particular culture are called one's gender. This differentiates from 'sex', which refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. While 'sex' is based on biological factors, 'gender' encompasses the roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.
The terms 'masculine' and 'feminine' are specifically associated with gender. These cultural roles vary greatly across different societies and are subject to change over time, demonstrating the learned, rather than inherited nature of gender categories. On the other hand, sexual orientation and gender identity, while related to gender, refer to different aspects of a person's social and personal identity, such as the emotional and romantic attraction to others and one's innermost sense of self as male, female, a blend of both, or neither.