Gender Communication

When was the last time you heard someone say, "like a girl" with a positive overtone? We have been taught that performing "like a girl" is the equivalent of performing poorly. The company always decided to examine the phrase "like a girl" and how children of different ages would respond! The results were not what you would expect! The phrase "Like a Girl" might have originally held a negative connotation but this idiom is due for a revolution! The way we refer to "girls" communicates gender expectations.

We use a variety of channels of communication (language, books, tv, clothing, etc.) to teach children what it means to be a "girl" and a "boy". We often limit these identities to separate categories that we are not supposed to mix. We are taught that men are supposed to be more athletic than women and play in different leagues. In almost every professional sport, such as football, baseball, and basketball the men's league is seen as more competitive and more popular.

So what happens when a girl is able to throw a 70 mile per hour fastball and win The World Series for her team? Mo'ne Davis was the first girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series in August 2014, showing everyone what it means to throw like a girl. Davis is being recognized because of her rare talent, but also because of her gender (Wallace). With Davis as a role model, we may see many more examples of transformations of traditional gender roles.

This example highlights one of the key characteristics of gender - that it is fluid. Gender roles of a given culture are always changing.

Like in sports, people of all genders are taking on new roles in all different ways. This picture depicts females on the field during a competitive game of lacrosse at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California, a sport traditionally played by men.

In this chapter, we will look at the ways in which gender has been constructed in American life, and ways in which we communicate about the ideas of gender.

Source: Wikibooks, https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Survey_of_Communication_Study/Chapter_13_-_Gender_Communication
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