Final answer:
The correct answer is a) Gender, sex. 'Gender' refers to the social and cultural roles, while 'sex' refers to the biological attributes of males and females. These concepts are crucial in understanding the differences between one's biological attributes and societal roles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pattern of behavior or role that males and females are expected to follow is known as gender; the biological aspect of being male or female is known as sex. Hence, the correct answer to the fill-in-the-blank question would be a) Gender, sex. These concepts are key in the field of social studies, especially when discussing issues related to sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies.
Sex is based on biological attributes, including chromosomes (XX for females, XY for males), visible genitalia, secondary sex characteristics, and reproductive capabilities. Gender, on the other hand, refers to the behaviors, personal traits, and social positions that society attributes to people based on their biological sex. It is important to note that sex and gender are not always synchronous; for example, transgender individuals have a gender identity that does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
While sex is a more rigid category influenced by biology, gender roles can vary greatly between different societies and can change over time. Gender identity, which may differ from biological sex, is also an essential concept to understand, as it pertains to one's inner sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or another gender entirely.