If I were in a mixed sex group, I would be less likely to discuss relationship issues, sex issues, body issues etc. In a mixed racial group of women, I would not. There are also things men talk about & ways they talk about them that change when in women's presence but not by race
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And it isn't just personal things about sex & relationships & bodies which ppl might want to discuss among same sex friends but much more subtle things. I realised how how different conversations can be at a dinner party a few years ago. 4 couples who only knew the host.
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General conversation through dinner and then somehow, the women ended up in the living room & the men on the patio. I was the only female smoker at that time so I drifted out a few times. The contrast between topics and style of conversation was really pronounced.
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The women had discussed their jobs, then their children, then their parents in law, a debate about whether Jewish or Indian mothers-in-law were the most demanding, (sorry, they were Jewish & Indian, so it was allowed), then religion & culture & parenting & education.
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The men, whenever I went out there were talking about things ranging from flat-screen TVs (which were new then) to car stereos to games consoles. From my perspective, it was very much like an information exchange - a series of reviews which were civilly disputed.
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I doubt things are usually *that* clear-cut. Men talk about people & relationships too and women talk about things they've bought & things they want to buy and we all talk about politics, culture & ethics but I was struck by the stereotypical conversations in the two spaces.
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And stereotypes are bloody accurate, I'm afraid. We probably would not have spoken at length about dealing with in-law relationships if a man had been there, not because he'd have nothing worthwhile to contribute but because we'd anticipate him getting bored quite quickly.
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Similarly, when I went outside, the men's convo stalled cos they were uncertain whether they should stop talking about whatever it was - the merits of X Box vs Playstation - and say something to include me because they assumed, quite rightly, that I did not care about this.
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Perhaps. But commuicayion style can vary by race too, at least insomuch as it’s a proxy for subculture. I agree with you about heterosexuality.
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