Abstract
In this book, the renowned scholar and author of many texts on the topic of gender differences in language use, Deborah Cameron, presents and challenges some of the most known and spread gendered ‘myths’ such as that women are by nature more cooperative, talkative and polite than the opposite sex (p. 11). Her particular interest is language interaction so she skilfully examines data gathered from public and private settings including home, work, and urban schools.
Highlights
In Chapter Three, “Partial Truths: Why Difference is not the Whole Story” the centrepiece is the data collected by a psychologist Janet Hyde
Juxtaposed is Judith Baxter’s study that shows no such natural tendencies towards cooperation or competition: she concludes that men and women can be both cooperative and competitive depending on the situation and personal style (p. 64)
Chapter Six, “Back to Nature: Brains, Genes and Evolution” re-evaluates the evolutionary psychologists’ explanations that “many behaviour-patterns which we might assume to be products of culture are the results of biological evolution: they reflect the ways in which our earliest ancestors adapted to the conditions of life” (p. 101)
Summary
In Chapter Three, “Partial Truths: Why Difference is not the Whole Story” the centrepiece is the data collected by a psychologist Janet Hyde. Mars and Venus in Childhood and Adolescence” is notable for its relevance to linguistic and counselling work because it engages the questions of growing up differently in boy/girl camps, so to speak.
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