Theory: Gender (The Difference Model) Theorists, Experiments and Studies

Question 1

Tannen: six different ways?

Answer 1

There are six different ways that men and women communicate differently:

1. Advice vs understanding - men will often try to fix a problem rather than understand emotional needs.
2. Conflict vs compromise - women dislike being confrontational, whereas men do not mind this.
3. Independence vs intimacy- men prefer to be independent, whereas women prefer intimacy.
4. Information vs feelings - men will often only provide factual information, but many women take an emotional stance.
5. Orders vs proposals - men will often make commands where women will suggest.
6. Status vs support - men will try to be competitive to improve their status, but women will seek reassurance and support.

Question 2

Coates: conversations?

Answer 2

All-male conversations are competitive whereas all-female conversations are co-operative.

Question 3

Cameron: bitching?

Answer 3

Bitching is a part of female talk, but not male, because covertly dominant behaviour is more acceptable.

Question 4

Pilkington: male house talk?

Answer 4

Male house talk is characterised by insults.

Question 5

Howe: different roles in conversations?

Answer 5

Men and women play different roles in conversation:

• Men are active participants, keen to respond and provide their opinion.
• Women are active listeners, responding through backchanneling.

Question 6

Hyde: The Gender Similarities Hypothesis?

Answer 6

There are more similarities between the genders than there is difference.

Question 7

Tannen: talk?

Answer 7

Male talk is report-orientated - they want to report the facts. Female talk is rapport-orientated - they do it to maintain friendships.

Question 8

Judith Butley: gender performativity and performance utterances?

Answer 8

Coined term ‘gender performativity’ in her 1990 book ‘Gender Trouble’ - gender is not something we are born with but something we continuously do and perform through our behaviours, actions and expressions. Stereotypes (women talk naturally cooperative and men talk naturally competitive) oversimplify the complexities of gender and language - speech patterns are not determined by biological sex but socially constructed and performed. Performance utterances challenges these stereotypes e.g. ‘I am a man’, not just state but also affirm and declare an identity, socially constructed emphasises these behaviours aren’t inherent to gender.

Question 9

Bio factors?

Answer 9

Questioning assumption (gender socially constructed) - biological factors such as brain structure and hormonal levels contribute to differences in language processing.