In our society, gender, either as a man or a woman, usually determines how we will lead our lives. Often, because of our classification and socialization when we are children, we get into many communication problems with the opposite gender. The way children are socialized and how they interact with different things, will affect how they do things later on in life.

According to Deborah Tannen, some of these differences can be explained by looking at how children are socialized in their early years (368). She explains that boys and girls at an early age, tend to socialize with people of the same sex and each group has a different approach to certain things (368). Girls tend to form more closely knit relationships by talking about intimate things that they would not be able to share with any one else. They look for comfort and support from each other in these relationships that are meant to be kept for a lifetime (368). On the other hand, Tannen points out that boys? relationships with one another are different. Boys tend to show off their ego much more than girls and try to stand out in the group that they belong to (369). They would not for any reason want to be calle

Tannen, Deborah ed. ? Sex, Lies, and Conversations? Patterns for College Writing 8th

Traditionally, men are usually viewed as the ?stronger? sex. I believe that this generalization comes from the fact that as kids, boys are always given ?boys? toys? to play with. They are expected to play with video games, guns, trucks and other toys reserved for boys only. Girls on the other hand are sometimes viewed as the ?weaker? sex and are thought of as not being able to take care of themselves. They are taught to play with dolls, make-up, tea sets, dress-up kits, and are taught to stay away from boys. According to research done by a team project for COMM 512 and for Oregon State University, ?girl?s toys teach girls to stay at home, to sit and play quietly; boy?s toys teach boys to go out, take things apart, and put them together and move things around? (Watkins and Hu, 25). Because of this, ?...boys and girls establish two separate ?cultures? that reflect their different play preferences? (Eleanore E. Maccoby, 19).

Some topics in this essay:
Women TV, Deborah Tannen, Oregon University, Watkins Hu, Huston Wright, John Wright, Final Draft, Eleanore Maccoby, Color Toys, Roles Volume, november 2000, children socialized, play boys, boys girls, watching television, taught play, oregon university, section usually dominated, boys toys, care themselves, occupy positions, usually dominated color,