Gender Communication- Definitional

Definitional:
In today’s society, we often believe that gender and sex are synonyms. This is not true at all, and it is indeed why so much thought has been put into gender communication. When a woman learns she is pregnant with a child, she usually wants to know whether it is a girl or a boy. If this woman hears she will have a bouncing baby girl, society has made it her duty to run out and buy five gallons of pink paint. She will assume that this little girl will have feminine characteristics. Though what if this little girl likes the color blue? Is that considered normal? The answer is yes- society has shaped our views of sex and gender so much that we expect specific things from them instead of simply considering them “human”.
Gender is something that is socially constructed meaning of masculine and feminine, and sex is something that is biological and genetic. The nature of gender is very complex, and three explanations have been proposed by scholars as things which shape its meaning: biological, social, and psychological.
Biological differences between men and woman explain what is on the surface of gender communication. Men and woman have different sexual organs, physical size, and anatomy. They also have differently structured brains. Research done by Kimura (2000) concluded that, “the right cortex is thicker in males’ brain then the left.”(5) This would mean that their brains are asymmetrical in the speech area which could lead to difficulty in communication. We do not have the evidence to support this claim though. It has also been proposed that females mature faster than men. For example, women tend to have a greater dexterity in things such as handwriting and wrist movement.
In order to look deeper into psychological theories we can look at the Freudian Identification Theory. Freud proposed that children will model their behavior after their same sex-parent in order to learn what society expects from their gender. Male development is centered around defensive identification because they fear power being taken from them. A woman develops from, “anaclitic identification.”(6) They do this because women have a fear of loss and love. This theory is sometimes looked upon poorly because it insinuates women are inferior. Another way of looking at it psychologically is through social learning theory. This theory says that we learn more about the roles of each gender from our significant others and parents. These roles are then “nailed in” using reinforcement. For example, when a little girl puts on makeup, she is told she looks beautiful by her mother. This reinforcement begins at birth. If we understand that girls need love and attention because they fear loss, we can also fathom why girls tend to be “cuddled” more. Because boys fear loss of power, they often get in trouble. Differences such as this increase as the children get older. Stereotypically, we believe that girls are more social and, “boys should be encouraged to move away from their mothers.”(9) If a boy tends to cling to his mother, society calls him a “momma’s boy.” At the age of two, boys and girls can identify the sex of an individual. At age three, the child knows its own sex. Children also learn a great deal about what society expects of them from other children at school. Girls are steered towards cheerleading and boys are taught football. Cognitive Development theory states that children really learn about what it means to be masculine and feminine during the age of five and six. Once children identify their own gender, they begin to like different things associated with their gender. This differs from social learning theory because it states that this development occurs at a certain time in the child’s life. Children actively seek out information that they think will make them similar to their peers. Social roles, “are a set of behavior patterns that define the expected behavior for individuals in a given position or status.” (12) The research of Talcott Parsons states that children learn about these roles from their families. For example, boys understand they cannot be like their feminine mothers so they tend to draw themselves away from them. Blumer and Mead conclude that we learn these roles from the expectations of our significant others. What society expects from men and woman can also vary from culture to culture. Carol Gilligan believes that males and females experience their social environment differently, and therefore develop differently in personality. Girls can automatically learn from their mothers, but boys must first detach themselves from their mothers. Girls gravitate towards the idea of attachment, so they usually shy from doing things that threaten their relationships with others. Because boys are taught to embrace separation, they often argue with others. Women define themselves through their ability to maintain healthy relationships with others which thus makes them kind and nurturing. Woman view separation to be unsafe and men prefer it. Ferguson believed that children develop based on their own priorities and social limits. A woman may want to be the CEO of a major company, so she will work hard to accomplish this task. Though because of what society believes, men will be thought to be better in this position.
There are various perspectives on gender identity. The dichotomous model states that there are basic differences between woman and men. Some see these differences as biological, and some believe they come from social conditioning. Although many differences have not been fully determined, there are some that have been well established. One of these differences is that girls have a greater verbal ability than boys. Girls are, “more responsive to tones, speech patterns, and vocal cues. Girls tend to speak and read earlier than boys.”(17) Male infants have better visual space abilities though. They also develop math skills earlier than girls. If a problem requires the solution to be verbal, girls tend to perform better. Women have better matching skills and a greater verbal fluency. A study also found boys to be more aggressive than girls. Instead of being aggressive, girls tend to handle their problems by being antisocial. Boys and girls find their self esteem in different places. Boys tend to connect themselves with characteristics such as drive, energy, and control. Girls like to associate themselves with words like generous and sensitive. Research also supports that, “girls and boys are equally proficient at all types of learning.”(19) It has been proven that girls often have a better achievement motivation under common circumstances. Research is still being done to prove whether or not girls are more compliant than boys and that boys are more active than girls. Also, it is still questionable whether or not girls are more, “sociable and nurturing than boys.” (19) One study did conclude that girls respond faster to the distress of another. Although many studies have been performed, their conclusions seem “superficial” if you look at the bigger picture.
In order to break down society’s influence on gender, strategies for change have been proposed. The concept of androgyny has been proposed to lessen the division between what is considered masculine or feminine. Sandra Bem brought about the concept of psychology androgyny which maintains that people can posses both masculine and feminine characteristics. An androgynous individual has great leadership qualities but is also sensitive to the needs of others. A person who is undifferentiated associates themselves with neither feminine nor masculine qualities. Androgyny allows a person more “flexibility” in their actions and it allows them to adapt properly to social situations. The concept is considered “healthier.” These individuals report, “better personal adjustment.”(21) As we observe interpersonal situations, our knowledge on gender orientation can be far more helpful than just knowing the sex of an individual. Complex social situations require both masculine and feminine characteristics.
A person’s culture and ethnicity also greatly influence their idea of masculine vs. feminine. It is true that what is expected of Caucasian American woman is entirely differently then what is expected from a Native American woman.
All these differences between men and woman shape our communication behavior. If we know these differences, we can break down stereotypes about what is masculine and what is feminine in order to see a person as an individual

Bibliography:
Stewart, Lea, Friedley, Sheryl, Stewart, Alan, & Cooper, Pamela (Fourth Addition). Gender and Communication.