跨文化交际11-Gender differences in Communication

1、Gender Difference in CommunicationWho talks more, Women or Men? Stereotype: Women talk too much. Some proverbs: A womans tongue wags like a lambs tail. Foxes are all tail and women are all tongue. The north sea will sooner be found wanting water than a woman be at a loss for word.Yet Studies find th

2、at it is men who talk more at meetings in mixed-group discussions in classrooms where girls sit next to boysThen, who talks more, women or men? More men feel comfortable doing “public” speaking while More women feel comfortable doing “private” speakingFor Most Women The language of conversation is p

3、rimarily a language of rapport: a way of establishing connection and negotiating relationships.For Most Men Talk is primarily a means to preserve independence and negotiate and maintain status in a hierarchical social order. Men and women often have very different ideas of whats important and at wha

4、t point “important” topics should be raised.“My wife and I have an agreement: I make all the big decisions, but she gets to make the little ones. I decide what the United Nations should do, how to solve the world energy crisis, and who will win the next World Cup; she decides where we should live, w

5、hat we should eat, how to educate the kids, and when well retire.”Different meanings of home for men and womenFor Many Men The comfort of home means freedom from having to prove themselves and impress others through verbal display.For Many Women The comfort of home means the freedom to talk without

6、worrying about how their talk will be judged. The difference between public and private speaking, or report-talk and rapport-talk, can be understood in terms of status and connections. Men and women are programmed to receive, process and impart information in quite different ways. He: What would you

7、 like for your birthday?She: I dont care, anythings OK.He: No, really, what do you want? Id like to get you something nice.She: You dont have to get me anything, besides we cant afford much right now.He: Well, how about if we just go out for dinner together then?She: Sure, thats fine. I dont really

8、want anything. You always give me whatever I want anyway. . Women are better than men at:Verbal fluency Short term memory Listening skillsMale and Female have learned to become male or female when the grow up.Girl babies are crooned over, talked to and stroked more than boys.Girls learn to talk earl

9、ier, and better at languages and they have a better memory for details, respond better to facial expressions and body language more than boys. Boys and girls play differently.Girls tend to play in small groups and usually have a “best friend” with whom they share their secrets.Boys tend to form loos

10、er attachments. They bond through physical rather than verbal play. Women never lose the need for a best friend with whom they can exchange confidences. Men, who feel no such need in the first place, rarely form the same kind of one-to-one close friendships. Men tend to take things at face value. As

11、k him a question and hell answer it.Ask a woman and shell probably reply with another question. Women tend to look for the meaning behind the words. They are experts at reading non-verbal cues Men tend to stick to factual stuff like current affairs, sport, business, etc. Women like to talk about their feelings, families, and other people. Women remember exactly what has been said, when, how and by whom. Women may make a request in the form of a polite question; men are more likely to issue a direct command. Women interrupt more, but usually only to murmur encouraging prompts like