Final answer:
Gender roles and identity are part of a societal mental network consisting of expectations, stereotypes, and ideologies about being male or female. These are learned through socialization from a young age and inform a person's sense of self within a gender binary framework, which does not encompass all individual experiences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term 'mental network of knowledge, beliefs, metaphors, & expectations about what it means to be male or female' refers to the collection of societal norms and personal understandings that contribute to an individual's gender role and identity. This includes gender roles, which are society's concept of how men and women should behave, and gender identity, a person's deeply held internal perception of his or her gender. These are shaped through a process of socialization, where expectations for behavior based on gender are learned from a young age.
Societal networks of understanding define activities as masculine or feminine, often based on stereotypes. For instance, riding a motorcycle might be considered a male activity, while it is stereotypically thought that the female gender is too timid for such activities. These layers of meaning and expectation are known as gender ideology, which includes a set of coordinated ideas about gender categories, norms, and ideals.
The binary understanding of gender — that one is either male or female — is not universal and is part of a social construction known as the gender binary. It is essential to recognize that some individuals do not fit neatly into these categories, such as those who are intersex, or those who change their gender identity. The dichotomy established by the gender binary is supported by many social institutions but does not represent the full spectrum of human gender experiences.