Reflections of Power & Status
For centuries, there have been debates over gender-based issues that impact on social systems and governments, both positively and negatively. Gender differences play a major role in the organization of familial structures and patterns.
The big question has always been why is there a big gap in the perceptions held on both men and women? This essay compares and contrasts messages held about men and women before and after the modifications of pronouns (he/she, him/her). Before the modifications of the pronouns, both men and women are seen to have different communication patterns in that women tend to be more talkative than men. When women Converse, they normally use words that display more of positive emotions such as feeling happy and good than how men can do. They also use social words like sharing.
On the other hand, men tend to talk about issues that relate to occupations and class status. Gender differences also occur when people are in public whereby women become more positive to children than men (Dindia & Canary, 2006). Women do smile more often than men. Although their smile may not necessarily indicate pleasure, it may be a sign of nervousness. Gender differences also occur in relation to body posture whereby men have a more relaxed body posture as compare to women.
This is because society has cultured men to be more superior to women by according them a high level of power and social status. Consequently, women are expected to be submissive and humble. This will be seen by their bending of the head when in the presence of men as a sign of shyness, holding hands close to the body, as well as keeping their feet close together. Men on the other hand usually maintain an upright posture; keep their hands hanged freely and their feet apart (Matlin, 2012).Research also indicates that women are better listeners than men. This is attributed to fact that men are deemed as more powerful than women who should be listeners and be in a position to execute the commands that men issue.
They are to be keen enough when handling men such that they are able to read their facial expressions and interpret the kind of mood that they are in. Men have been long considered being better leaders who are able to influence others in order to exploit their potential to the highest level than women although; this has changed over time (Beall & Sternberg, 2003). In terms of friendship, both men and women are able to sustain long lasting friendships as long as all factors are kept constant. However, women are very open and disclose a lot of personal information to their friends as commpared to men whose discussions generally dwell on common issues such as politics. Women also tend to ease a lot of their personal tensions by being more candid with their friends and spending more time with them (Tiedens & Leach, 2004).
After the modifications of the pronouns, women take the features that distinguish them from men according to this article. They are the ones who are more powerful and therefore, should be listened to. Men on the other hand are seen to be more emotional and that they display both positive and negative emotions as compared to their counterpart women. In addition, women discuss issues that relate to occupation and social classes. Furthermore, in this case, there is reversing of roles whereby women are rated as more domineering than men who are submissive.
In conclusion, there are characteristics that are common to both men and women. Nevertheless, there are also differences that exist between men and women as discussed in this essay. For instance, women tend to be more talkative than men, good listeners as well as submissive. Moreover, they are also more sentimental. Men on the other hand display power and a high social status that the society accords them in their relationships. They also possess qualities of being effective leaders as compared to women.
