Stereotype that Women Talk More Than Men Isn't True

Findings published in the July 6, 2007 issue of the journal Science indicate that in the talking race, men play against the stereotype and keep up with women. The study recorded 396 college students for a period of 2 to 10 days and then calculated how many words they uttered over the course of the day. The difference, 546, is a statistically insignificant number as women spoke an average of 16,215 words and men, 15,669.

This research busts the popularly embraced myth that women out-talk men at a rate of almost 3-to1 words. As the AP reported, for years magazines and books have made the unsubstantiated claim that women speak about 20,000 words to the 7,000 uttered by men.

Equally Talkative

Prior to this study's release, no large-scale research had systematically documented the natural conversations of large groups of people for extended periods of time. The study findings reflect what most of us instinctually realize: there are talkative men, shy women, and vice versa. How much an individual talks is not dictated by sex, but instead personality.

Regardless of this finding, the societal stereotype that generally men are more reticent than women will likely prevail. Men talk about sports, women talk about feelings. Some do neither. However, the study also measured men and women's use of unique words and again found no measurable difference. So again, what they say might be different, but how they say it remains fairly similar.

Real-World Applications

One area not explored through this study is how the speech habits of men and women develop over time. The study solely followed college students. In another study analyzing speech patterns in the workplace, men talked more than women by a small margin.

Additionally, this examination of how much men and women talk does not take into account the context in which people were speaking. The accompanying study analysis in Science points out that "men and women differ in their gregariouness depending on whether they're in private or public, same-sex or mixed-sex gatherings." These areas represent fertile ground for future applicable study as additional understanding of how much, when, where and why people talk provides insight into how they think about things, and offers expanded insight into gender and individual distinctions.

And as both studies indirectly note, the literal difference between how much men and women talk is so small that it has no public policy implication beyond an interesting tibit. Perhaps additional studies can continue to erode the urban legend of Chatty Cathy and Silent Bob.

Sources:

Science, July 5, 2007, 317: 82, Are Women Really More Talkative Than Men?

Mark Lieberman's Language Log