Sociology

The topic of gender communication deals with the ways in which communication obstacles between members of opposite gender may be overcome. The essay provides an insight over the different communication patterns, prominent gender communication theories and real life situations which help in the better understanding of all problems concerning gender communication. In addition to this it also sheds light on the priorities of males and females when it comes to addressing a mass audience and the subsequent reasons accounting for their priority.

As a student of gender communication it is very significant to assess the topic of gender and communication on various levels which include race, sexuality, class, race and geographical location. All these components play a pivotal role in designing the perspectives of an individual regarding gender based issues.
       
But before we discuss the profound influence of such factors it will be better to understand the meaning of the term gender. It is defined as the combination of social and cultural instruments which constitute the formation of a male or a female. It is also important to point out here that linking the term to the state of being a male or female in entirety is a misconception.
         
Lets now have a look at each of the factors stated above. First and foremost is race. Race or racial group as it is more commonly referred as the categorization of people into different population groups, primarily on the basis of their acquired heritable characteristics. Some factors which are important in the indication of race of people include skin color, facial features and hair texture. In this context if gender communication and its connection to race are contemplated it would be that it is easier for people to overcome gender based communication hurdles if people involved in the communication process belong to the same race. For instance it might be very difficult for an African, no matter how confident he is to initiate a conversation with a white American boy or girl or vice versa. But on the other hand talking to a black American would rather be much easier as their complexion serves as a common group for the commencement of negotiations.
           
Secondly talking about class which is the hierarchical arrangement that segregates people of a society on the basis of wealth also serve as an effective barrier towards gender communication. People belonging to similar class status intermingle with each other much easily than communicating with people from different categories of social class. In this aspect it is the financially mediocre class of people which exhibits greatest degree of flexibility by accommodating people at extreme ends. 
         
Location or geography is a factor which can act as an obstacle to the communication in the way that it can be further sub-divided into proximity or geographical closeness and ones attachment and loyalty associated with his or her race. Due to the presence of these two factors people tend to colonize themselves as they feel more close to their own people in terms of proximity and race.
         
When it comes to sexuality it is worth mentioning here that human beings are naturally made to feel a sexual attraction towards the opposite sex and in genetic terms this attraction is very helpful as it helps in the formation of healthy and disease resistant offspring and hence facilitates in mushrooming gender communication. 
         
Last but not the least is the factor of age. It has been generally observed that people of same age tend to be more comfortable in communicating either with the members of the same or different gender. The phenomenon of generation gap is still very dominant in this group of people, therefore it is easier for them to talk about some topics which are otherwise considered a taboo in the society.
         
All the factors explained above are just one aspect of the story. Apart from this there are many situations which also help us in understanding the sophisticated nature of gender communication. It is a common observation that girls returning from their colleges or universities are usually irritated by a group of young but good for nothing boys mostly in the form of insulting hooting. The female decides to ignore them whereas the members of this gang show complete loyalty in disturbing her everyday.
         
If this situation is analyzed under limelight using the model of social development theory we will come to know that this behavior from masculine side continues due to her ignorance towards their attitude, but she is mainly hushed by the harsh rules of the society which favors males legitimizing their behavior towards the opposite gender. According to the model presented by cognitive developmental theory this kind of gender attitude might have fostered as an impact of mass media which helps in developing such gender based attitudes or lastly they have developed a stereotype of treating women like this as stated by the gender schema theory (Wood, 2010.).
     
The most effective model explaining the situation is presented by cognitive developmental theory in this context as the theory clearly states that at a time when a person acquires adolescence he or she has developed rigid as far as sex-typing is concerned as hence believes that their behavior towards opposite gender is appropriate(Wood,2010.).
       
Once we are done with the gender communication models presented by different theories, we can now move towards our next stage which deals with the ways in which we can easily communicate a large audience. The first step towards overcoming the communication difficulty should be to comprehend and identify communication patterns demonstrated by males and females. Removing misunderstandings and misconceptions will help us to realize our own strengths and help developing a healthy communication environment. During communication males tend to be more inclined towards reasoning, rationality, power stature and winning. Females on the other hand tend to be more empathetic, harmonious, cooperative and intuitive. Differences are also observed in the kinesics, problem solving strategy and ways of providing feedback and talking of both genders. As far as my personal liking is concerned I usually prefer engaging in a speech community present with both males and females as it helps you in overcoming communication hurdles with the opposite gender, helps grooming your level of confidence and assists in understanding members of opposite sex. 
     
Approaching towards the conclusion it would be appropriate saying that neither gender is better than the other it is only the different communication patterns which contribute to their differences. By acknowledging the differing linguistic styles, abilities and skills one can use them effectively to work, grow and succeed in life.