The differences between females and males have been studied for centuries. Communication has been one of the aspects that have acquired the most attention of scholars, scientists, and the public. The belief that the way males and females communicate differs tremendously has been persistent for decades and even centuries (Fulbright, 2011). In many areas, the differences are apparent. At that, many studies suggest that they are not as significant as some may think. A brief review of some areas of communication will show that there are some differences while there are various stereotypes and myths that should be eliminated.
As far as the face-to-face interactions are concerned, it is clear that researchers have different views on the matter. As for the use of language, Hancock and Rubin (2014) state that there are no significant differences in the way females and males communicate. Fulbright (2011) notes that despite the fact that women are believed to be more skillful verbally, a study shows that there is almost no difference when it comes to comprehension, reading, and vocabulary. It is also believed that females tend to use more polite forms when communicating, which is also doubtful, according to Hyde’s meta-analysis that revealed little difference between genders in this respect (Fulbright, 2011). At that, it is acknowledged that some differences exist and are determined physiologically. For instance, Goman (2016) states that women use five tones when speaking, while men use only three tones, which makes females sound more emotional, and males seem more confident.
Another important sphere is associated with social interactions. Thus, it is believed that females are more submissive, while men are more assertive. It is also universally accepted that males are more aggressive and task-oriented, while females are more cooperative. However, these peculiarities are unlikely to be psychologically determined as they have been developed due to a particular distribution of gender roles in human society. Furthermore, Goman (2016) states that these are quite generalized qualities, and each individual (irrespective of gender) can use communication styles they find the most effective.
The development of technology has provided people with a very specific sphere of communication. The use of smartphones, social networks, and instant messaging has become a focus of many studies. This domain is also characterized by some stereotypes and myths, while it is still clear that differences do exist. For example, it has been acknowledged that females are more emotional, which is associated with the use of emoticons during messaging. However, Tossell et al. (2012) provide quite interesting facts. Their study shows that females tend to use more emoticons, but males use more diverse emoticons. These data make it rather difficult to state that females are more emotional in their communication through instant messaging.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that the differences in communication are apparent as males and females have quite different features. Nonetheless, the extent and number of these differences have been overestimated in the society. Extensive research shows that the differences are not as numerous as they are often presented in the media. Scientists provide sufficient evidence showing that males and females communicate in a similar way in many settings. However, it is undeniable that some differences in communication styles exist due to some social aspects. It is also clear that people can choose the way they will communicate irrespective of their gender.
References
Fulbright, Y. K. (2011). Male-female communication: Debunking the Mars-Venus myth. The Huffington Post. Web.
Goman, C. K. (2016). Is your communication style dictated by your gender? Forbes. Web.
Hancock, A., & Rubin, B. (2014). Influence of communication partner’s gender on language. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 34(1), 46-64.
Tossell, C. C., Kortum, P., Shepard, C., Barg-Walkow, L. H., Rahmati, A., & Zhong, L. (2012). A longitudinal study of emoticon use in text messaging from smartphones. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 659-663.