Gender roles refer to the expectations of how males and females should behave and the responsibilities assigned to each in a society. Gender roles are learned and can vary across cultures but generally involve divisions of labor, child-rearing practices, and socialization that reinforce the roles. Gender schema theory proposes that children learn about gender norms from their culture and adjust their behavior accordingly, developing cognitive frameworks or "schemas" about what it means to be male or female. These schemas can influence how people perceive themselves and others.