"I just don't understand men!" This expression is a popular one used by women of all ages. From adolescents to senior citizens, women are at a struggle in understanding why men do the things they do and vice versa. It is a general understanding that communication is the key to any relationship. However, both sexes use language for different purposes making it difficult to comprehend one another. In chapter 3 of Understanding Human Communication, Gender and Language is discussed in detail. According to the book, both genders share common topics of discussion such as movies, television and work. However, women generally use language for social purposes, to discuss personal problems and feelings. While on the other hand, men use language in a more impersonal manner, to complete the task at hand with minimal expression of their emotions. Women view conversations with other females a necessity, while men view conversations with other males as something they simply like to do. Through my experiences, I can honestly say that I agree with these descriptions of male and female language. Obviously not everyone complies with these descriptions, but for the most part these generalizations are true. .
Every female deals with their problems in very various ways yet there is always one similarity: girlfriends are a necessity in resolving those problems. When I look back at high school, I see a nonstop cycle of gossip, lies, fights, boyfriends, and heartaches. These were the toughest years of my life so far and I am glad I did not have to go through them alone. In any bad situation, the first to be by my side were my girls. They helped me realize things that I already knew deep down, but needed to hear it out loud to believe. We would talk all night about our feelings on sex, boys, family, friends, and high school gossip. These "bonding sessions are a main reason that women need female-to-female conversations.
