Men are Chatterboxes too!

Who speaks more, men or women? Most wouldn't hesitate to answer that women have a
greater gift of gab. Jokes abound, and comedians have made careers out of just how much women
talk. But research some may find surprising indicates that both men and women speak more or less
equally.
Researchers recorded the daily conversations of 400 university students in the United
States and Mexico over a period of several days. After analyzing the data, they discovered that
women used a tad more than 16,000 words each day. Men, however, used just a bit less than
16,000 words. With almost no difference in the numbers, and well within any margin or error, it's
safe to consider men and women in a statistical dead heat. The report does admit that, as men and
women age, the numbers could change.
The prevailing idea that women are chatterboxes, while men only speak when they have
something important to say, likely comes down to cultural and political sexism. But the study does
offer a few comments on what the genders talk about. For example, men gossip just as m uch as
women. Another stereotyped smashed in the study is that women mostly talk about trivial matters.
They don't, or at least no less than men do. But women actually talk more about relationships.
An expert in the field of gender studies has a slightly different opinion. She doesn't disagree
with the study, but suggests that these assumptions could have originated when men and women
argue. Unfortunately, the study can't shed any light on how speaking patterns change in an
argument. But other studies have lent credence to the idea that guys get quiet and women talk more
during an emotional conflict.
1. Vocabulary match: Individually or in pairs/groups, match the words in column A (from the
article) with the best choice in column B.
a. gab

q. equal

b. abound

r.

c. tad

s. unimportant

d. dead heat

t.

e. prevailing

u. expectation

f.

v. a little

chatterbox

overflowing
blabbermouth

g. sexism

w. trust

h. trivial
i.

assumption

x. discrimination
y. conversation

j.

credence

z. dominant
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EXECUTIVE LANGUAGE PROGRAM

Jl. Cimanuk No. 180 Garut

2. True or False?: Guess (before the article) or answer (after the article) whether the sentence is
true or false. If false, correct the sentence.
a. According to the article, many people believed that men speak less than women.

T/F

b. More than four hundred students participated in the research.

T/F

c. The report isn't sure if women speak more than men later in life.

T/F

d. Men don't gossip as much as women.

T/F

e. According to the article, men tend to become quiet when they argue with women.

T/F

3. Questions: Answer the questions to check comprehension.

a. What has new research discovered about men and women?
b. How many words per day do men speak? How about women?
c. According to the article, why are there stereotypes about women being chatterboxes?
d. What do women talk more about?
e. What do women tend to do in an argument?
4. Discuss (part I): Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your
answers!
a. Did you like this article?
b. What was your general impression after reading this article?
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

Who do you think speaks more, men or women?

What do you think men mostly talk about?
What do you think women mostly talk about?
What other stereotypes are there about men? Are they true or false? Why?
What other stereotypes are there about women? Are they true or false? Why?
What do you think of stereotypes in general? Are they good, bad, based on reality? Why?
Will this research change the men's and women's opinions of one another? Why/not?
Are the stereotypes about men and women are true under different circumstances (such as arguing)?

5: Discuss (part II): Discuss stereotypes on the following topics. Next decide if the stereotypes are
true or false.
Topic

Stereotypes?

True or False?

Men
Women
Americans (or
another nationality)
Religion
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EXECUTIVE LANGUAGE PROGRAM
Jl. Cimanuk No. 180 Garut