Gender systems are established in socio-cultural and economic contexts that determine what is expected, what is allowed and valued in a woman / man / girl / boy in particular times and geographical and social contexts. Socialization processes teach gender roles, and the latter are institutionalized by education systems, political and economic systems, legislation, culture, norms, and values.
Studying gender focuses not only on the behavior of individual women and men, but on the system that determines responsibilities, choices, access to and control over resources, and decision-making. The choices that individuals make are less individual than is spontaneously assumed. The expectations and pressure of the environment play a major role, often unconsciously.