Gender and Communication

Communication is an ongoing process in which individuals exchange messages whose meanings are influenced by the history of the relationship and the experiences of the participants. (Adler, p.384) Communication depends on relationships between the people who are communicating, and on common basics between them. Problems in communications between people may arise due to differences in cultures, perceptions, values, and expectations from life.

As in many other gender differences, miscommunication between males and females can be explained by either the biological aspect or the cultural/environmental aspect. Deborah Tannen, a University professor of linguistics at Georgetown University and an Author, suggests the biological explanation to the problem: “Sometimes when you are talking to someone from other gender, it is like you are talking to someone from another world” said Prof. Tannen when she was talking about communications between opposite genders. That is the main reason why girls and boys prefer to play with their own sex. A research, made by her, shows the differences in friendships between two best-friends girls, and two best-friends boys in ages five, ten and fifteen. The girls were facing each other while talking in the three cases; most of the talk was about friendship. However, the boys in the three cases where sitting in angle to each other or side-by-side, they were looking around, through the whole conversation, and never looked at each other. The fact that these differences are displayed in an early age, support the biological explanation.

Alternatively, others suggest that opposite genders face miscommunication problems due to cultural and environmental factors. Although our society shifts to a more egalitarian one, there are still significant stereotypes of masculine and feminine behaviors. Traditionally, attributes such as assertiveness, individualism, rationalism, technical capability, and self-confidence are conceived as more masculine, whereas emotionalism, mildness, dependability, warmness, maturity, and cooperation are conceived as more feminine. Throughout their life, kids are expected to behave according to their gender’s attributes. As a result of these attributes, the women’s role is to take care of the kids, while the men’s role is to financially support them. The society’s pressure on the women is demonstrated in one of the ...

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...o exchanging information and communicating. We can find much more causes, examples and cases in our everyday life. Of course, these sex differences are statistical average, and many men and women do not fit these profiles. As we can learn from many social and psychological researchers, there is no one biological or cultural/environmental explanation for the miscommunication between males and females. The explanation is a complex one, it involves the two aspects, and sex is not the only variable that effects our miscommunication in life. Knowing the main differences between men and women in communications can help us communicate better with others, and especially with the other sex.

Works Cited

Adler, Ronald B. Interplay, The Process of Interpersonal Communication. More Eds. Lawrence B.Rosenfeld, and Russell F.Proctor II. 8th edition. Harcourt College Publishers, 2001.

Movie – “Gender and Communication” by Deborah Tannen.

Movie - “When Harry Met Sally”

Stewart, Lea P. Communication Between The Sexes. More Eds. Alan D.Stewart, Sheryl A.Friedley, and Pamela J.Cooper. 2nd edition. Arizona, 1990.

Tannen, Deborah. Gender and conversational interaction. 1993.