ABSTRACT
The presumption that biological sex affects communication behavior all the time is not valid in the face of evidence that sex differences tend to be very small and inconsistent across interaction contexts (Canary & Hause, 1993). At the same time, men and women clearly differ. The issue is determining what behaviors differ and when. We believe that one key area to look for sex differences concerns how men and women maintain their close, personal relationships. Several reasons warrant the examination of sex differences in relational maintenance behaviors. The sum of these reasons is that women are more relationally responsive; that is, women (vs. men) tend to engage in thoughts and actions that protect and promote their personal involvements.
