Although there is a great deal of variation within each gender, on the average men and women discuss a surprisingly different range of topics. The first research on conversational topics was conducted over seventy years ago. Despite the changes in male and female roles since then, the results of several studies are remarkably similar. In these studies, women and men ranging in age from seventeen
to eighty described the range of topics each discussed with friends of the same sex. Certain topics were common to both men and women: work, movies, and television proved to be frequent topics for both groups. Both men and women reserved discussions of sex and sexuality for members of the same sex. The differences between men and women were more striking then the similarities. Female friends spent much more time discussing personal and domestic subjects, relationship problems, family, health and reproductive matters, weight, food and clothing, men, and other women. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to discuss music, current events, sports, business, and other men. Both men and women were equally likely to discuss personal appearance, sex, and dating in same-sex conversations. True to one common stereotype, women were more likely to gossip about close friends and family. By contrast, men spent more time gossiping about sports figures and media personalities. Women's gossip was no more derogatory than men's. These differences can lead to frustration when men and women try to converse with one another. Researchers report that "trivial" is the word often used by both men and women to describe topics discussed by the opposite sex. "I want to talk about important things," a woman might say, "like how we're getting along. All he wants to do is talk about the news or what we'll do this weekend." Research about conversational topics
a. has only been of interest in recent times.
b. shows that stereotypes about women are inaccurate.
c. shows few differences between men and women.
d. has been conducted over seventy years ago.
D
You might also like to view...
Nous aimons mieux invit____ des amis à la maison que prend____ un verre au café.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a good summary?
A) contains no typos or mechanical errors B) preserves the proportion and emphasis of the original C) is no more than five percent as long as the original D) All of these answers are correct. E) None of these answers are correct.
Belligerent people are generally hostile to others
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
What is the most specific idea in a paragraph?
a. topic sentence b. major detail c. minor detail d. conclusion