Re: Research

[DURL <durl -at- BUFFNET -dot- NET>]

        My hunch is that e-mail is about as gender-neutral as you can get.
I've found that, in general, I try to soften my opinions on some lists on
some subjects if I'm trying to make a point, not stir up a debate. But
it's not a gender issue at all.
        E-mail--on lists, anyway--is self-selective: only people who are
e-mail-assertive routinely take part. I'm one of those people who's always
got two cents to throw in, in groups, at public meetings, in any
organization I belong to. I'd expect that to be generally true for people
who post a lot.
        E-mail also requires a pretty high comfort level with writing,
which might be related to the kind of men who post a lot. Men are
not as comfortable in general with writing as women are. (Generally, I
think women's language skills are better--I'd love to see some research
that explores the notion that, as girls' math skills decline in High
Schooool, what happens to men' language skills?

Mary Durlak  Erie Documentation Inc.
East Aurora, New York (near Buffalo)
durl -at- buffnet -dot- net

On Wed, 19 Nov 1997, A. BESHARA wrote:

> Hello all, I am a graduate student in technical writing, at New Mexico
> State University and I have been viewing this list for about 4 months now.
> I subscribed to the list so that I could get an idea of what goes on in
> the undefinable world of technical writing.  Currently I am doing research
> on the significance e-mail may have on gender discourse.  I am proposing
> that email users use a gender neutral discourse which will promote a more
> egalitarian work-place. I am sure all of you have knowledge of the typical
> difficulties that men and women often face when communicating at work.
> (Men misunderstand women's intentions when they hedge or use tag phrases.
> Women misunderstand when men use overly critical or overly oppositional
> speech.) Those are generalizations but are some of the things I am
> investigating.

 Since you all are frequent email users I was wondering if
> any of you had any insight on how email may or may not make you feel more
> comfortable when communicating with the other gender.  Is it something you
> consciously consider?
        No,
 Have you come across more or less misunderstandings
> through email use?
        Compared to what? Conversation? If so, I'm aware of *less*
misunderstandings, but that could have to do with the lack of cues (body
language, tone of voice); I may not know who's misunderstanding me, or vv.

  Do you feel comfortable with the informality and the
> anonymity that email affords?
        Yese w/ the informality. email really doesn't afford anonymit, but
the perception that it does has caused me to say some incredibly stupid
things to hundres/thousands of people. I've had to learn that the
anonymity doesn't exist.
>
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