Early struggles for gender equality attempted to erase difference between men and women. However, equality does not imply similarity. In general, women and men are fundamentally different--particularly in terms of their social interactions.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Dana Loewy, Kathy Rhodes, and Patricia Rogin point out the communicative differences noted in women and men. According to the authors, during conversations men:
pay less attention to the interlocutor (the other participant in the conversation)
use interruptions as a way of directing the conversation
are attentive to facts
maintain eye contact less
move around more
Women, on the other hand:
pay more attention to the interlocutor
use interruptions to express agreement, to elaborate, and to become more engaged in the conversation
are attentive to the whole person, seeing the conversation as a connective experience
practice sustained eye contact
are more still ( 2013, p. 47).
The findings of the authors are, of course, generalizations: a great deal of communicative diversity exists both within and across gender categories. Nonetheless, being conscious of communicative differences can help make us more effective when listening and speaking.
Dr. Sylvia Gearing provides a summary of the communicative differences between men and women in her video, "How to Talk to the other Gender":
Works cited Guffey, M. E., Loewy, D., Rhodes, K., & Rogin, P. (2013). Business Communication: Process and Product Brief (4th Canadian ed.). Toronto: Nelson.
No comments:
Post a Comment