Gender differences in Communication

Gender differences in Communication For as long as there have been two different genders, there was a difference in communication styles between men and women. It was evident before and later, when women began fighting for equality rights and fair treatment. Verbal and non-verbal differences in communication lead to prejudice and partially, it comes from the fact that men and women are different not only biologically but mentally as well.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Gender differences in Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Charles Greenwood mentioned that even looking at The Early Communication Indicator (ECI), children of very young age have particular communication styles, ranging from gestures to vocalizations and utterances (Greenwood et al., 2013). As a result, the unique nature of each particular style of communication comes from biological and social or environmental factors. Women would communicate both verbally and no n-verbally in a way, which the modern society describes, as feminine. This is due to the influences of male preferences and social roles. Since birth, both boys and girls are conditioned to behave in a certain way, which is representative of their role in society and family. Girls are taught to be more sensitive and rely on their feelings while boys are given lessons in masculinity. The society expects a certain â€Å"style† from each gender and thus, the separation in professional and leisure-time communication has been created (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). Communication styles can be qualified as instrumental and expressive since each one is specific to males and females. Men are more focused on finding out the neutral and clear cut facts about something, which leads them to being more direct and assertive. There is a much greater reliance on logic and the â€Å"instrumental† nature of things. As such, males are interested in how something can be used practically and in a n application to the physical factors. One piece of knowledge or information usually, leads to another, thus creating a â€Å"thinking chain†. Women use a much different technique in communicating, as it stems from better insight into the matter of things. Because women were segregated for such a long time and prevented from taking up higher and more prominent positions, they have developed a unique method of communicating in reaching their goal. Women tend to center on the person, deeper insight into the context and personality of the speaker and the general situation.Advertising Looking for critical writing on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This allows for better qualitative analysis of information, linking it to the individual presenting the facts. Their communication is more personal, and is directed to the emotional side of the person. Of course, it would be unwise to conclude that all me n and women exhibit these qualities, as there are women who want to have all the authority and men who have profound insight, but the standard for the majority is upheld by existing evidence. It is interesting to note that professionally, there is a difference as well. Desjarlais-deKlerk and Wallace write that healthcare professionals use unique set of communication skills to attend to a particular gender and person. Especially in rural areas, medical staff is well aware of the families, their cases and so, the communication style adjusts on a more personal level. This type of communication decreases anxiety and develops trust (Desjarlais-deKlerk Wallace, 2013). This can clearly be aligned to women’s communication style, as they develop a more individual understanding towards a person, thus connecting on a closer and more effective level. At the same time, it is difficult to say which style is the best because every individual has their unique technique in the interaction wi th other people. But the modern times have made gender differences less noticeable with men being great negotiators and women strong fighters. This is much noticeable in the relationships that exist today. Sexual communication has stayed very much prevalent for centuries. One of the oldest gender constructions came from the functioning of the family. This is where conflict might arise, as women were taught to have a role of homeowners, raising children and teaching children how to be more sensitive to the surrounding environment. Men were hunters and centered their life on providing for the family, so strength and calculation would be something a father would teach his children. Even though the world has greatly changed, the separation is still noticeable through social and private roles in communication. Each gender has their own way of communicating in a relationship or family, and the goals or expectancies each individual has are also unique.Advertising We will write a cu stom critical writing sample on Gender differences in Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The majority of positions of power are still held by men, thus the communication style tends to be authoritative, depriving women of a chance to demonstrate their strengths. Women are forced to communicate in a non-demanding way, allowing the man to be in charge. Often, the conflict stems from inability to understand the meaning behind the communication, as each gender bases communication on own understanding of others and the environment. As a result, each person uses their own style, and it becomes difficult to align to the thought process and emotions of the other person (Krolokke, 2006). References Ashford, J. LeCroy, C. (2010). Human behavior in the social environment: a multidimensional perspective (4th ed.). Belmont: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. Desjarlais-deKlerk, K, Wallace, J. (2013). Instrumental and socioemotional communicatio ns in doctor-patient interactions in urban and rural clinics. BMC Health Services Research 13(1), 261-268. Greenwood, C., Walker, D., Buzhardt, J., Howard, W., McCune, L., Anderson, R. (2013). Evidence of a continuum in foundational expressive communication skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(3), 540-554. Krolokke, C. (2006). Gender Communication Theories and Analyses: From Silence to Performance. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

10 Social Networking Safety Tips for Women and Girls

10 Social Networking Safety Tips for Women and Girls As social networking and social media have grown, weve paid a price few saw coming: the loss of individual privacy. The impulse to share has caused many of us to inadvertently expose ourselves in ways that can compromise our safety and security. While social networking sites may feel like an invitation-only gathering of friends thats accessible 24/7, its not necessarily a closed and safe universe. Others may be able to access your personal information without your knowledge. Although cyberstalking preceded the advent of social networking, social media does make it easier for a stalker or cyberstalker to locate and track a potential victims every move. Innocuous personal tidbits collected over weeks, months and even years often add up to a whole picture of who you are, where you work, live and socialize, and what your habits are all valuable information to a stalker. Dont think this can happen to you? Then you should know that according to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 6 women will be stalked in her lifetime. The best way to protect yourself is to not make yourself vulnerable in the first place. Whenever you engage in social media, remember this: what happens on the internet stays on the internet, and its up to you to make sure what appears in connection with your name and image does not have the potential to harm you now or in the future. The following 10 tips offer guidelines in managing the information that gets out there about you via social networking and can help keep you safe: No Such Thing as Private The internet is like an elephant it never forgets. While spoken words leave little trace and are quickly forgotten, written words endure in the online environment. Whatever you post, tweet, update, share even if its deleted immediately afterwards has the potential to be captured by someone, somewhere, without your knowledge. This is especially true of social networking sites including private messages shared between two people and postings to a private group. There is no such thing as private in the world of social media because anything you put up can potentially be grabbed, copied, saved on someone elses computer and mirrored on other sites not to mention hacked by thieves or subpoenaed by law enforcement agencies. A Little Bird Told Me Every time you use Twitter, the government keeps a copy of your tweets. Sounds crazy, but its true. According to the Library of Congress blog: Every public tweet, ever, since Twitters inception in March 2006, will be ar chived digitally at the Library of Congress.... Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets every day, with the total numbering in the billions. And experts predict the information will be searched and used in ways we cant even imagine. (This gives new meaning to the phrase A little bird told me...) X Marks the Spot Be cautious about using geo-location services, apps, Foursquare, or any method which shares where youre at. When it was first introduced, Facebooks Places feature gave tech writer Sam Diaz pause: Guests at a party at my home could turn my home address into a public place on Facebook and my only recourse is to flag my address to have it removed... If we’re all at a concert...and a friend checks in with Places, he can tag the people who he’s with - just as if you were tagging a person in a photo. Unlike Diaz, Carrie Bugbee a social media strategist had fun using these services until a cyberstalking incident changed her mind. One evening, while dining at a restaurant she had checked in at using Foursquare, Bugbee was told by the hostess that there was a call for her on the restaurants phone line. When she picked up, an anonymous man warned her about using Foursquare because she could be found by certain people; and when she tried to laugh it off, he beg an verbally abusing her. Stories like this may be why far fewer women use geo-location services as compared to men; many are afraid of making themselves more vulnerable to cyberstalking. Separate Work and Family Keep your family safe, especially if you have a high profile position or work in a field that may expose you to high-risk individuals. Some women have more than one social networking account: one for their professional/public lives and one thats restricted to personal concerns and only involves family and close friends. If this applies to you, make it clear to family/friends to post only to your personal account, not your professional page; and dont let the names of spouses, children, relatives, parents, siblings appear there to protect their privacy. Dont let yourself be tagged in events, activities or photos that may reveal personal details about your life. If they show up, delete them first and explain later to the tagger; better safe than sorry. How Old Are You Now? If you must share your birthday, never put down the year in which you were born. Using the month and day are acceptable, but adding the year provides an opportunity for identity theft. Its Yo ur Fault If Its Default Keep track of your privacy settings and check them on a regular basis or at least monthly. Do not assume that the default setting will keep you safe. Many social networking sites frequently update and change settings, and often the defaults tend to make public more information than you may be willing to share. If an upcoming update is advertised in advance, be proactive and investigate it before it launches; it may offer a window during which you can privately edit or remove content before it goes live. If you wait until your account automatically switches over, your information may go public before you have a chance to deal with it. Review Before Posting Make sure your privacy settings enable you to review content in which youve been tagged by friends before they appear publicly on your page. This should include posts, notes, and photos. It may seem tedious, but its much easier to deal with a small amount each day than to have to go back through weeks, months and even years to ensure that any and all content related to you puts forth an image youre comfortable living with. Its A Family Affair Make it clear to family members that the best way of communicating with you is through private messaging or email not posting on your page. Often, relatives who are new to social media dont understand the difference between public and private conversations and how they take place online. Dont hesitate to delete something that is too personal for fear of hurting Grandmas feelings just make sure you message her privately to explain your actions, or better yet, call her on the phone. You Play, You Pay...in Loss of Privacy O nline games, quizzes, and other entertainment apps are fun, but they often pull information from your page and post it without your knowledge. Make sure that you know the guidelines of any app, game or service and do not allow it unfettered access to your information. Likewise, be cautious about responding to notes shared by friends along the lines of 10 Things You Didnt Know About Me. When you answer these and post them, youre revealing personal details about yourself that may enable others to figure out your address, your workplace, the name of your pet or your mothers maiden name (often used as an online security question), or even your password. Do enough of these over time and someone who is determined to learn all about you can read the answers, cross-reference information obtained through your friends pages, and glean a surprising amount from these seemingly casual revelations. How Do I Know You? Never accept a friend request from someone you dont know. This may seem like a no-brainer, but even when someone appears as a mutual friend of a friend or several friends, think twice about accepting unless you can concretely identify who they are and how theyre connected to you. In many professional circles involving large organizations, all an outsider has to do is obtain one friend on the inside and it snowballs from there, with others thinking that a total stranger with no personal connection is an unfamiliar co-worker or occasional business associate. Social media is fun thats why half the U.S. adult population participates in online social networking sites. But dont be lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to protecting your personal information. The goal of social networking sites is to generate revenue and even though the service is free, theres the hidden cost of your privacy. Its up to you to keep tabs on what shows up and to limit your exposure and protect yourself. Sources: Dias, Sam. Facebook launches Places, geo-location service thats both cool and creepy. ZDnet.com. 18 August 2010.GLOBAL DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: Texting, Social Networking Popular Worldwide. PewGlobal.org. 20 December 2011.Panzarino, Matthew. Heres what happens when the police subpoena your Facebook. TheNextWeb.com. 2 May 2011.Raymond, Matt. How Tweet It Is!: Library Acquires Entire Twitter Archive. Library of Congress blog. 14 April 2010.Seville, Lisa Riordan. Foursquares Stalker Problem.  The Daily Beast. 8 August 2010.