Genderlect Styles

I love the Genderlect Styles Theory. I think it is because I see it happen so much in my personal life. The Genderlect Styles Theory describes male-female conversations as cross-cultural communication. This cross-cultural communication is defined as genderlects. The theory holds that neither one is superior, they are just different. The theory examines how women and men differ in communication styles when it comes to public speaking vs. private speaking, when telling a story, when listening, when asking questions, and when in conflict. The best example I can think of is interactions with my boyfriend. We are a lot alike, however, when it comes to communicating we can be on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. For example, when it is just Derek and I, I do most of the talking. However, when we're out for the night or at a party, it's usually Derek doing most of the talking. He's usually the center of attention. Also, when I'm telling a story, it's usually about something someone else did, while he's usually talking about something crazy he did. The last example I thought of is something we fight about a lot. Derek and I have totally different listening styles. When I listen to him, whether we're fighting or just talking, I always make eye contact and provide the feedback cues like "mhmm", or "right." Derek, on the other hand, doesn't do any of that. He insists that he really is listening, however because our genderlects are so different when it comes to listening, we usually end up fighting about it. This is definitely a theory I'd like to study more.