ABSTRACT
Gender stereotypes prescribe authority, leadership, and decisiveness for masculinity, and accommodation, interpersonal sensitivity, subservience, and warmth for femininity. These prescriptions are as strong in the sphere of interpersonal relationships as they are in the public sphere of business, politics, and education—with similar implications for maintaining a system in which men are in charge. The way people talk with each other has implications for both power and intimacy. The different communication patterns developed by male and female children as they grow into adolescence may shape their experience of romantic sexual relationships in young adulthood. Gender stereotypes and learned patterns of communication may affect the expression of sexuality in relationships. Sexual Configuration Theory suggests that traditional categories of sexual orientation and sexual identity are too limited to fully capture people's lived experiences. There is not one single self-schema for men and one for women; context, culture, and identity are critical in shaping individuals' notions of their sexual selves.
