Summary:
Do men and women speak the same language?
Simon Baron-Cohen says that the "topic was just too politically insensitive". The idea that men and women are different is controversial. Stereotypically "men never listen" and "women find it easier to talk about their feelings". The idea that men and women "speak different languages" is usually not a hypothesis but simply unquestioned.
It is obvious that men and women are physically different but it is it true that they use language in completely different ways?
Women are often employed in call centres because they are "naturally good" at talking. Is this saying that women can't work in positions of power? Is this also that men lack the ability to communicate effectively?
Baron-Cohen says that there are people with a female brain and people with a male brain. The female brain is made up of empathy and communication, whereas the male brain analyses complex systems. Is this to suggest that men are smarter than women or that women are more empathic than men? He suggests that nursing is a female brain job and the law is a male brain job.
"1 Language and communication matter more to women than to men; women talk more than men.
2 Women are more verbally skilled than men.
3 Men's goals in using language tend to be about getting things done, whereas women's tend to be about making connections to other people. Men talk more about things and facts, whereas women talk more about people, relationships and feelings.
4 Men's way of using language is competitive, reflecting their general interest in acquiring and maintaining status; women's use of language is cooperative, reflecting their preference for equality and harmony.
5 These differences routinely lead to "miscommunication" between the sexes, with each sex misinterpreting the other's intentions. This causes problems in contexts where men and women regularly interact, and especially in heterosexual relationships."
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