Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Chapter Exercises
Chapter 9: Culture and Gender
Exercise 1: Gender Talk in Different Social Settings
Purpose
To investigate what males and females of other cultures talk about in different social settings
Instructions
Design and conduct a mini-research project investigating where/when/about what people talk
in different social settings. Before you begin your research, generate a few categories of social
settings (e.g., meals, between classes, with members of the opposite sex, cafeteria, or coffee
shop). Two research questions might include:
1. What do males talk about in certain social settings?
2. What do females talk about in certain social settings?
Be prepared to present your research findings to other members of your class.
Then, answer the questions in the “Conclusions” section of the exercise.
Conclusions
1. How do your findings compare with those of your classmates?
2. Are there general similarities in what people from different cultural groups talk about in the
same social settings?
3. What influence does gender have on communication in certain social settings?
4. What influence does culture have on what is talked about in certain social settings?
Exercise 2: Gender Communications Quiz
Purpose
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
To recognize how women and men communicate
Instructions
The 20 questions in this survey come from research that was done in U.S. classrooms, private
homes, businesses, offices, and hospitals—the places where people commonly work and
socialize. If you think that a statement correctly describes female or male communication
patterns, mark it true. If you think that the statement does not correctly describe the
communication pattern, mark it false.
T F
1. Men talk more than women.
T F
2. It is more likely that a man will interrupt a woman than interrupt
another man.
T F
3. The English language has approximately 10 times as many sexual
terms for males as it does for females.
T F
4. During conversations, women spend more time looking at their
partner than men do.
T F
5. Nonverbal messages have more meaning than verbal messages.
T F
6. When they communicate, female managers are more likely to show
their feelings openly and be more dramatic than male managers.
T F
7. Men control the content of conversations, and they also work harder
than women in keeping conversations going.
T F
8. When people hear words such as “mankind” and “he,” they assume
that the word means “females and males.”
T F
9. Women are more likely to touch other people than men are.
T F
10. In classroom communications, teachers give more negative feedback
(i.e., reprimands, criticism, scolding, etc.) to male students than to
female students.
T F
11. Women are more likely than men to share very personal information
(i.e., share secrets).
T F
12. Females speak in a more animated or excited style than males do.
T F
13. Women use less personal space than men do.
T F
14. When a male speaks, people pay more attention to him than they
would to a female speaker, even when she says exactly the same
things as the man does.
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
T F
15. In general, women speak in a more tentative or uncertain style than
men do.
T F
16. Women are more likely to answer questions that are intended for
other people.
T F
17. Female managers (bosses) are seen as better communicators than
male managers by their male and female subordinates (employees).
T F
18. In classroom communications, teachers are more likely to give verbal
praise to female students than to male students.
T F
19. In general, men smile more often than women.
Answers
1. T
Jandt, An Introduction to Intercultural Communication 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Note: Recent research has called into question the answers given for Items 2 and 15.
Conclusions
1. How do the statements in this survey compare with your own experience of female and
male communication patterns?
2. If it is true that women and men in the United States communicate differently, in what ways
do you think it might affect their relationships (work, school, friendship, romance)?
3. In which cultures might the answer to a question be different from what you believe to be
true for the United States?
Note: Reprinted with the permission of Drs. Myra and David Sadker who use this quiz and other
materials in workshops on sex bias and sexual harassment conducted at schools, colleges, and
private corporations. For further information, write Drs. David and Myra Sadker, American
University, Washington, DC 20016.
Exercise 3: Women in Advertising
Purpose
To study how women are represented in advertising
Instructions
Find examples of both old and new magazine advertisements that show pictures of women (you
can look at a library or search the Internet). Try to find examples from both U.S. magazines and
international magazines. In these magazines, look for some ads that are directed toward women
and some that are directed toward men. Describe and compare the ads you find.
Then, answer the questions in the “Conclusions” section of the exercise.
Conclusions
1. How are the images presented in the advertisements different?
2. In what ways did the older advertisements contribute to stereotyping? What about the
newer advertisements?
3. In what ways do the new advertisements reflect the culture of origin?
4. When you compared the ads for men and the ads for women, were there any “hidden
messages” that suggested how women (or men) should behave or be perceived? If so, what
were they?
5. Compare the international magazines with the U.S. magazines. Are there any differences in
the ways that women (or men) are shown? How are women shown in the magazines with a
male audience versus how men are shown in the magazines with a female audience?
Exercise 4: Women in Advertising
Purpose
To study how women have been represented in advertising
Instructions
1. Watch three commercials on television.
2. Discuss how women are portrayed in them.
3. Discuss positive and negative stereotypes present in these commercials.
Exercise 5: Non-Binary Gender Identity
Purpose: To better understand the role of gender identity and presentation in various cultures
Instructions
1. Choose a culture you are not a part of but that you are interested in.
2. Research how that culture views gender identity. Do they consider sex and gender the
same? Do they conceptualize sex and/or gender as binary or as a continuum?
3. Consider how that culture views gender identity compared to your home culture.
Conclusions
1. How can our understandings of gender identity differ?
2. Why do we view gender identity differently?
