Gender is defined as a cultural and social difference between male and female. It includes the characteristics that are outlined by being masculine or feminine. Gender attitudes and behaviors are seen at different levels as individuals, social institutions, wider societies and cultures. Communication is an activity that is done on a daily basis, wherever a conversation transpires regardless of gender, race or culture. There are barriers to effective communication as well as factors that somewhat twist or change the meaning of certain things being conveyed. In a work place, gender can influence communication styles and leadership styles as both parties have different ways of getting across information to others. However, Ellie Williams
In a study by (citation) females and males rated communication styles by gender tended to rate females as better at non-verbal communication and males as more likely to display loud disruptive behaviours. Through observational studies these were confirmed to be significant showing that how we view genders does impact communication styles. For me, I do see these behaviours in my life and find I am able to communicate and read body language very well. In a study by (citation) female managers were more likely to use longer sentences, sub-sentences and more adjectives. (How this affects my
The gender of a person is the masculine or feminine attributes of that individual with respect to the psychological and biological role in society. (Magar, 2009) A gender role can be defined as the way that a person lives in society with respect to its lifestyle. It can be argued that over time the major differences between men and women’s gender roles have faded. In the past traditional roles have been based in their society by their biological orientation. (Magar, 2009) Gender roles can also be described as the behavior and attitudes that are expected of men and women in a society. (Faqs.org, 2011) Although different cultures impose different expectations, many cultures have the same basic gender roles.
Male and female differ in their use of communication because their reasons for communicating are different. Men
Gender is a learned social construction on what you do. It is a cultural system based on the binary opposition of men and women but there are also variations
In the article “Male and Female Communication: Differences Worth Nothing”, Laurie M. Stewart explains that main ideas about the differences between men and women communication that were published by three different Doctors. The differences exist in men and women communication, although not any of the theories were widely accepted. Stewart introduces that the belief of men and women are differentiated in communication due to different focus and driving force was written by Deborah Tannen in You Just Don’t Understand. Next she lists the points that John Gray wrote in Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus about general communication styles varied between men and women. Then Stewart introduces that the theory Lillian Glass wrote about gender
Due to the different ways of expressing politeness and conversational involvement, they may have trouble communicating even if they share the same language. The ‘two cultures' approach proposes that talk between women and men is fraught with potential misunderstanding for much the same reasons that communication across the ethnic groups is (Mary Crawford, Talking Difference On Gender and Language, 1995). Hence, I agree with the point of view of Deborah Tannen. However, "You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation" does not inform readers about the reasons and the consequences of the communication differences between genders. Therefore, this essay will include the above
There are also social differences between men and women. Two of the most significant theories on social differences between males and females are “difference theory” and “dominance theory”. According to the “difference theory” men and women, even those within the same group, live in different or separate cultural worlds and, as a result, they promote different ways of speaking (Uchida, 1992). This theory is sometimes called “two-culture theory”. In simple terms, although men and women live in the same environment they establish different relations with society as if each belonged to a different environment and culture, the result of which is consequently reflected in the language of both genders as in other aspects of their lives. So in this theory, cross-gender communication is to be taken as cross-cultural or bi-cultural communication. In “dominance theory”,
How one communicates is also influenced by gender. Studies show that ones sex can place a person in a gender role expectation. Women and Men communicate differently and because sexual identity is defined through same sex parent or role model, women and men can get into gender role expectations. These expectations influence their perception attitudes and behavior that will result in a communication style. This early self-concept can effect each one's interpersonal relations. Women for instance are much-attached human beings they have very early identification with their mothers, and this can cause an on going pattern of role expectation. It can lead to interpersonal communication skills that are very nurturing and understanding. Women are not threatened by intimacy and communicating at a close range with people. Similarly, men also have an early identification process not with their mother, but their fathers. Men tend to be fairly reserved, and quite. Men are most comfortable when there is a level of separation. This male role will contribute to the communication processes and it can cause communication to
Deborah Tannen is the author of the book You Just Don't Understand where she analyzes the different meanings of communication between men and women. Her research shows that women and men use the same words and phrases and yet can interpret and react to those same words and phrases differently. Tannen compares the two sexes to find men use their conversation as a type of competition or to preserve their independence. For example, men talk about their knowledge regarding sports, cars, women, exc. Meanwhile, women try to foster intimacy through communication. For instance, women often talk and relate on a personal level. Throughout Tannen's book she uses "cross-cultural communication" to describe the differences between the language of
In order to be able to solve some of the problems associated with gender miscommunications, we should distinguish first between the two different types of communications: verbal communication and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication consists of messages expressed by linguistic means such as the use of intonation, the specific words we choose to say, and the way we are saying them. There are differences in females and males usage of language/verbal communication. As we might expect from traditional sex-role stereotypes, girls tend to establish more egalitarian same-sex groups. Girls use friendly groups as a training ground for cooperation. Boys view friendly conversation among their friends as training for verbal aggression. Females are more verbal, use three times more amount of words than males, they are much more descriptive and use more adjectives. Women are less direct in their communication style. As Prof. Tannen showed in one of her research, women are more indirect in answering questions depends on the situation. They answer questions the way they would like to be answered by men, which means more than just a yes/no answer. However, men answer the way they would like to be answered
In response to what we have discussed thus far in Interpersonal Communication, I would like to further explore the idea of gender in the interpersonal communication arena. As was said in class, ”gender influences cultural perspectives.” Gender also influences how we view ourselves in society. On the flip side, I’ve seen how society can mold the way we label ourselves in terms of gender.
interactions performed by people on a daily basis; gender is not merely a concept, but an
Communication between males and females has always been somewhat complicated. Because we are arguing that males and females have different cultures we wanted to take a look at what some of these differences might be. According to our research the inherent differences between male and female culture are the different roles that society holds for them and the ways these roles lead to different communication styles. The stereotypes that men and women grow up with affect the types of ways in which they communicate. We first wanted to take a look at how they specifically differ while men and women are arguing or having normal conversations. We also looked at the different types of networks that men and women
A sociolinguist study states that communication works on several levels. Messages carry contextualization cues, such as pitch, intonation, and rhythm. Not to mention how word choice and ways of phasing information may affect the message (Tannen, 2005).
In order to clarify how gender differences are related to communication differences, empirical findings and conceptual problems have been analyzed. According to linguistics professor Deborah Tannen, the differences in male and female communication styles can result in misunderstandings, distraught individuals, and cross-purposes that annoy men and women alike (Armstrong, 1996). Male or female, we all have the same basic human need to be understood by others; to communicate. One of the most influential traits that can greatly influence the way we communicate is our gender (Galvin, 2012). Why and to what extent does our gender influence our communication styles? Is there more to Genderlect than the theory expands upon? That is the question we will