Jake Hughes
The Paw Print
Throughout the ages, men and women have sought after superiority in certain characteristics, and of course, today is no exception. Some women say they do all the shopping, while some men say they are the entertainer of the couple. Well, I bring to you today a new argument, one that proposes men actually talk more than women.
Now, I know some of you are already in total uproar about this-knowing some of the female chatter boxes I know- though some are in complete agreement. Stereotypically, women are said to be the ones who don’t stop talking. You might know some proverbs like: “A woman’s tongue wags like a lamb’s tail” or “The North Sea will sooner be found wanting in water than a woman be at a loss for a word.” Both are very entertaining proverbs, if you ask me.
Historically women have been punished for talking too much or informally, which has resulted in the institutionalized punishment of women. This punishment could be the result of such research into women speaking more than men, when actually, countless studies have shown that men actually speak more than women in several different instances. In meetings, mixed-group discussions and classrooms, males are shown to speak out more than females. They typically ask the first question in a class room or lecture environment. Also, when males do talk they tend to speak longer than their female counterpart. In an article by Deborah Tannen, she explains “why men and women often talk past each other in a host of everyday situations.”
Tannen states that men and women often speak on different wavelengths that are not compatible. Stereotypically, the American home is an icon involving a quiet man and a talkative woman. This relates to what Tannen is saying on how communication between the sexes is complete opposites. This idea of interaction between the genders reinforces the stereotype that women talk more than men. According to Tannan, there are two different communication models in terms of gender. Rapport-Talk is one model; this model expresses how women talk. Women tend to talk about similarities and experiences they share with people like family and friends. The other model is Report-Talk, which expresses how men talk.
The name says it all really; men like to engage in more of a reporter talk that expresses a concern or idea. Men don’t mind talking in big groups and tend to be more comfortable talking to strangers. Men like to show their qualities, knowledge, and skills. Men also tell more jokes and share more stories, again, reinforcing my argument that men speak out more consistently and comfortable than females.
How ever we see it, whether we agree or not, men and women are two different creatures that pose different characteristics and traits. But, one thing is for sure: we both need each other. I want to just leave you with a quote I personally keep close to me:
“Men are what their mothers made them.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you have any questions or comments about this topic, or the final quote I left you, I would be more then happy to talk about it or try to elaborate more on the meaning and what the quote means to me personally.
What’s Been Said…