Topic: GENDER AND COMMUNICATION
Source:
The everyday interactions I have with my family and recent observations in a family gathering when I was home for spring break.
Relation:
We all know that there are different types of communication such as verbal, sign language, a person's tone, and body language. All of these forms of communication give a person the ability to analyze what someone is saying and if it matches up with nonverbal cues. Within the context of language are the ways that genders communicate with each other. Whether it is a woman talking with a woman or a man talking with a woman and vice versa, genders may change the way they communicate with each other based on assumptions and traditions.
Description:
At a family gathering this past weekend, I sat there soaking in the conversations going on around me. Then I thought, hey I'm sitting with all the women in my family and I wondered what the men in my family were talking about. I was a Daddy's girl so when I was younger, I would hangout with my dad a lot and heard what all the men were talking about. What it mostly consisted of was talking about cars, not much about feelings was involved, and it also involved a lot of humor and joking. When sitting with my female family members, we spoke more about family, gossip, and talked a lot more about feelings and problems going on in one's life.
Commentary/Analysis:
Based on what I observed this day and have over time, it is apparent that there are differences in the ways women and men communicate. Women tend to communicate more freely about emotions and familial and personal issues whereas men tend to navigate away from personal problems and prefer conversations to be less focused on feelings and emotions. I think this may be as a result of maternal feelings and care taking roles women tend to have in many societies. Although times are changing and progressing around the world, I can't help but think men and women gravitate towards having conversations that are focused on certain things.
Take a look at this video on youtube poking fun at things that women say:
DISCLAIMER:
I don't think all women say these things but I have caught myself saying some of these things! Kind of funny if you ask me. I also don't think all men don't talk about emotions, just wanted to put that out there. These are simply observations I have made in my life.
