ABSTRACT
The communicative styles of men and women are distinctively different in our society. Our stereotypic conceptions of men and women are clearly and consistently reflected in their contrasting communicative styles. Men are stereotyped as active, dominant, aggressive, and insensitive persons who dominate communicative interaction by virtue of their superior status. By contrast, women are perceived stereotypically to be passive, submissive, supportive persons who are dominated as a result of their desire to adapt to men’s needs, and to be accommodating. To a considerable degree, the stereotypes mirror the dominant characteristics of female-male interaction.
