In what sense is ‘gender’ an issue in interpersonal communication in health and social care? Lecturer at The Open University’s school of health and social welfare Martin Robb maintains that it is an important factor in how people talk and think about interpersonal relationships in healthcare services

LET’S START by reflecting on the nature and origin of gender differences and making clear the distinction between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’: ‘sex’ refers to basic biological and physiological differences between men and women; ‘gender’ refers to the meanings, associations and identities associated with these basic sexual differences.