I have difficulty seeing why gender is such a solid and psychologically important concept, as opposed to sex. Gender is the social layer of meaning attached to sex, while sex is a biological construct.<p>Do males really need a sex change just to play with barbie dolls? Do females need really need to think about sex change just do play with &quot;action figures&quot;? That&#x27;s an extreme change to make just so you can fit into social roles.<p>Why not just create your own personal identity that involves being female and doing male-typical activities, or vice versa? Hollywood plays with gender expectations all the time, and while there are certainly still gender norms, the lines aren&#x27;t so clear anymore, and society has adopted the appetite to continually challenge gender norms.<p>And there are barriers that far surpass gender, like the barrier of money. Most men and women don&#x27;t travel much because of money. Because of your racial identity, you can&#x27;t easily penetrate any social circle you wish; it&#x27;s hard to be an anthropological spy.