This study presents a theoretical and practical discussion of the changes that have occurred between men and women and how the sexes relate to one another from social, political, and ethical perspectives. Not only do men and women reflect different gender roles through communication, but they are also impacted by communication about gender, especially from the media. Gender differences in communication have gained political importance due to the increasingly relevant issues of sexual harassment and political correctness. These social and political changes have influenced our value systems and have given the study of gendered communication an ethical importance. Payne argues that religious ideology is an important aspect of gendered development and that biological, psychological, social, and cultural phenomena also affect sex roles.

This volume will appeal to scholars and students in the communications disciplines as well as psychologists and sociologists. Organized around three major themes--the construction of the gendered self, the differences between men and women as they relate to one another through language, power, and nonverbal communication, and the effects of gendered communication in leadership and the media--this work covers much ground on the topic of communication between the sexes.

KAY E. PAYNE is a Professor in the Department of Communication at Western Kentucky University./e