In Gender Shock, Phyllis Burke explodes the many myths surrounding our rigid gender system of male and female by looking through three lenses of gender identity: behavior, appearance, and science. Analyzing the latest research in psychology, genetics, neurology, and sociology, Burke finds that gender (or behavior) is not the result of one's biological sex (the body itself) and that gender and sexuality are separate elements of the self.

With common sense and compassion, Burke challenges the notion that men and women are from different planets by revealing how there are more variations within each sex than there are between the two.