Cross Gender Communication

Cross Gender Communication is a topic that I found boring at first but found it amusing later. In the beginning, I thought the differences of conversation between the genders was widely the same despite cultural backgrounds. Proven otherwise, I am now aware that although gender differences do change the way discourse is carried out with similarly slight difference within the same gender conversation when applying cultural backgrounds.

In the context of Singapore, we have become a blend of western and asian cultures. I feel that the connotation of using certain terms to address sexes have been nullified. Instead, titles have become functional and in a sense a-gendered. Take for example the use of "Ms". As mentioned in class, Ms is mistaken commonly for a short for Miss. The use of either is only an functional word to pertain to the title of the individual.

Addressing an individual with miss or ms would not in the context of Singapore connote that the adressor is in any way discrimatory to the addressee's status. Singaporeans in general will relate to feminism to mean equality in job opportunities, and social status. However the terminology used to address individual would in general not connote any bias. The need for defense against bias only results when one is not confident of one's status wherever and whoever the individual might be, male or female.

Similarly, written language in general TODAY also do not have gender-bias meaning although some may argue otherwise. In the modern society, humans despite of their gender have been relegated to functional entities. The words to describe these functional groups and entities may have been brought down from the inherent bias of language, but the inherent implicit bias have not. When we think of doctors, prime ministers, or any function in society, we no longer have the notion that any is exclusive only to a certain gender. Except military service which I find is decareasingly a female service. However the conotation still exist.