Women communicate to establish a sense of intimacy and connection while men communicate to assert their independence, status, and control. Regarding the speech patterns, women tend to utilize hedges and qualifiers more often than men. In showing agreement, women would preferably nod their head in approving someone else’s idea. In contrast, men would resort to talking in the way of exhibiting knowledge and showing their superior status. Media affects communication of males and females in the context of their messages and the writing styles. The anonymity that comes with the media plays a significant role in influencing the communication styles. There are questions as to whether females are treated more equitably in media than in the conventional face-to-face engagement due to their perceived less omnipresent gender.
Studies have also shown that media can cause stereotyping in communication. Both men and women will eventually adapt to a style that matches their gender stereotypes. For instance, when using media, males tend to be more adversarial compared to their female counterparts. Another dominant stereotype associated with women is that they use hedges even when disagreeing with their peers. Women are also presumed to be more polite, self-disclosing, and even emotional when participating in discussion forums. Men, on the other hand, are stereotyped to utilize commanding language and further respond negatively during interactions.
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Gender-based differences are also seen in the process of negotiation. Men stress on objective fact while women tend to emphasize maintaining relationships. Men are authoritative and dominant while women tend to be submissive and passive. While men could use direct language in negotiation, women could resort to the use of differential speech patterns. I believe that males are better than females in negotiation because of their ability to detach themselves from emotions. For example, Rahm Emanuel, former President Obama's chief of staff successfully negotiated to end the Chicago teacher's strike. Kofi Anan, former secretary general of the United Nations, is regarded as one of the best negotiators in the world especially when he restored peace in Syria.
