Differentiate between race and ethnicity
Race refers to the socially constructed physical, genetic characteristics of a person. Ethnicity refers to the group he or she identifies with in a cultural fashion. For example, a person may be Caucasian racially, but identify in terms of his or her ethnicity as an Italian-American -- versus his or her Irish-American friend who is also classified according in same 'racial' category.
These identifications are not necessarily inevitable: although it seems as though race (like gender) is an easily-identifiable social characteristic, it is important to remember that many years ago Irish and Italian people were not considered truly 'American' or 'white' and only gradually, through a historical assimilation process were these differences erased in the cultural mindset. In Italy, regional conflicts are rife, but not nearly as manifest between Italians in the United States. 'Racial' and 'ethnic' identification is a fluid and ever-changing process, and with greater organizational diversity within the U.S., hopefully discrimination in modern institutions of commerce,...
Even in progressive, supposedly gender-neutral nations such as the U.S., girls are often raised profoundly differently than boys. Parents may be more verbally expressive with girl children, place higher expectations upon girls to be 'caring' and 'sharing' with others, and enroll them in activities and give them toys that reinforce gender norms. Even if girls are encouraged to achieve, the expectation that they are also supposed to be nurturing mothers and fulfill certain aesthetic and personal standards has a psychological influence upon shaping female self-perception. The same is true for boys in terms of pressures to not be 'caring' and to be aggressive and masculine. Gender is such an ingrained part of the way our culture has constructed the way we see the world, it is impossible to ignore it. We cannot think outside of gender, in gender-neutral terms.
