1. What is the essence of communication for women? How about for men?

2. Describe the masculinity-femininity dimension and offer a specific example not listed in the reading.

3. Why is there a stronger perception of gender discrimination in countries considered "feminine?"

4. How do the authors describe the value of equality in relation to gender?

5. Identify a gender stereotype that you perceive to be rooted in cultural norms. Go beyond the examples provided in the reading.

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Argument Cultural determinism is a reality developed by many theories explaining default assimilation of socio-cultural values of individuals and their influence on attitudes, mentalities, perceptions and their behaviours. Obviously, the levels of culture are multiple, and each level has influence to some extent. In general, what comes from the national culture is considered to have the strongest influence, but there are cultural dominants with origin in ethnicity, religion, social class, age, gender, education - training, etc. We say "in general" because quite a few phenomena occur currently, that cannot be associated or cannot necessarily be associated with the national culture, even if they indicate the importance of a common cultural background for the members of a group that make up a community (including a virtual one). Other levels of culture or combinations of values set their fundament and jointly activities, one of them being determined by the belonging to a particular gender. Issues underlying political decisions, including those relating to discrimination on various criteria become of interest in the context of economic and socio-cultural changes (based largely on an unprecedented evolution of IT). In the same context there are discussions about gender discrimination and the role of women in society. Numerous projects, programs, directives, international, European and national regulations, and also militant groups draw attention to these phenomena, many of them having their origin in the literature that has treated the role of sexual difference over the years and addressed issues relating to ethics differences. This is the reason why we decided to approach such an issue, somehow brought into attention by the political interest. Culture and role differences between sexes Western studies distinguish between gender and sex. These terms are not synonymous; they serve to delineate anatomical and cultural differences between men and women. Significant differences are highlighted below: sex is a biological concept, gender is a social construct; gender is determined by genetics and biology, gender is produced / reproduced by society; sex is permanent, gender varies over time and across cultures; sex is an individual ownership, gender is a social and relational quality. Companies create gender meanings communicated through structures and cultural practices. Social prescriptions embedded in personal identity, make individuals become of a certain type (Anghel, 2010, apud Onea, 2014). Communication of role differences Firstly, we draw attention to the importance of communication in the transmission of gender role, starting right from the meaning given to culture by the anthropologist Hall (1984), the father of intercultural communication: "Culture is communication and communication is culture". Role differences between sexes (culturally determined) are a product of communication, but at the same time, they influence communication (we may speak about a circular causality). Communication shapes the lives of individuals. Attitudes, mentalities, positions towards action and generated solutions are transmitted by communication. All these influence human behaviours and behaviours that have moral consequences. Therefore, communication involves moral responsibility (Mulvaney, 1994). In fact, communication (verbal, nonverbal, implicit, explicit) is the process that teaches us to be male or female, that means to behave accordingly to the gender. From childhood we have learnt different linguistic practices, culturally associated with gender behaviours. "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" said Simone de Beauvoir (2006/1949), appreciating the role of culture and thereby of communication in shaping the role of women in society, and the ensuing consequences. Religious, mythical, philosophical and political discourses transmit us values and norms about our roles based on gender: permissions - what do (can do) a man woman, prohibitions - what cannot or should not be done by a man woman, how it should be done etc. Some communication behaviours acceptable for boys / men are considered completely inappropriate for girls / women. In this way, differences in the manner of learning the language use and actual use occur. Therefore, the language itself reflects the social role: for women, communication is the essence of a relationship through the transfer of emotions and feelings, firstly; for men, communication is a form in which they exercise control, keep or demonstrate independence, improve their status, generally by transmission of information (data and facts presented in an analytical manner). Consequently, communication models (conversational style, linguistic strategies, conversational ritual, nonverbal behaviour, manner of use of space and time) differ between sexes (Mulvaney, 1994, Hofstede et al., 2012). Role differences and discrimination In the following lines, we intent to highlight that role differences should not be associated with discrimination. As there is a natural normality that makes differences at Argument Cultural determinism is a reality developed by many theories explaining default assimilation of socio-cultural values of individuals and their influence on attitudes, mentalities, perceptions and their behaviours. Obviously, the levels of culture are multiple, and each level has influence to some extent. In general, what comes from the national culture is considered to have the strongest influence, but there are cultural dominants with origin in ethnicity, religion, social class, age, gender, education - training, etc. We say "in general" because quite a few phenomena occur currently, that cannot be associated or cannot necessarily be associated with the national culture, even if they indicate the importance of a common cultural background for the members of a group that make up a community (including a virtual one). Other levels of culture or combinations of values set their fundament and jointly activities, one of them being determined by the belonging to a particular gender. Issues underlying political decisions, including those relating to discrimination on various criteria become of interest in the context of economic and socio-cultural changes (based largely on an unprecedented evolution of IT). In the same context there are discussions about gender discrimination and the role of women in society. Numerous projects, programs, directives, international, European and national regulations, and also militant groups draw attention to these phenomena, many of them having their origin in the literature that has treated the role of sexual difference over the years and addressed issues relating to ethics differences. This is the reason why we decided to approach such an issue, somehow brought into attention by the political interest. Culture and role differences between sexes Western studies distinguish between gender and sex. These terms are not synonymous; they serve to delineate anatomical and cultural differences between men and women. Significant differences are highlighted below: sex is a biological concept, gender is a social construct; gender is determined by genetics and biology, gender is produced / reproduced by society; sex is permanent, gender varies over time and across cultures; sex is an individual ownership, gender is a social and relational quality. Companies create gender meanings communicated through structures and cultural practices. Social prescriptions embedded in personal identity, make individuals become of a certain type (Anghel, 2010, apud Onea, 2014). Communication of role differences Firstly, we draw attention to the importance of communication in the transmission of gender role, starting right from the meaning given to culture by the anthropologist Hall (1984), the father of intercultural communication: "Culture is communication and communication is culture". Role differences between sexes (culturally determined) are a product of communication, but at the same time, they influence communication (we may speak about a circular causality). Communication shapes the lives of individuals. Attitudes, mentalities, positions towards action and generated solutions are transmitted by communication. All these influence human behaviours and behaviours that have moral consequences. Therefore, communication involves moral responsibility (Mulvaney, 1994). In fact, communication (verbal, nonverbal, implicit, explicit) is the process that teaches us to be male or female, that means to behave accordingly to the gender. From childhood we have learnt different linguistic practices, culturally associated with gender behaviours. "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" said Simone de Beauvoir (2006/1949), appreciating the role of culture and thereby of communication in shaping the role of women in society, and the ensuing consequences. Religious, mythical, philosophical and political discourses transmit us values and norms about our roles based on gender: permissions - what do (can do) a man woman, prohibitions - what cannot or should not be done by a man woman, how it should be done etc. Some communication behaviours acceptable for boys / men are considered completely inappropriate for girls / women. In this way, differences in the manner of learning the language use and actual use occur. Therefore, the language itself reflects the social role: for women, communication is the essence of a relationship through the transfer of emotions and feelings, firstly; for men, communication is a form in which they exercise control, keep or demonstrate independence, improve their status, generally by transmission of information (data and facts presented in an analytical manner). Consequently, communication models (conversational style, linguistic strategies, conversational ritual, nonverbal behaviour, manner of use of space and time) differ between sexes (Mulvaney, 1994, Hofstede et al., 2012). Role differences and discrimination In the following lines, we intent to highlight that role differences should not be associated with discrimination. As there is a natural normality that makes differences at

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Answer 1 The essence of communication for women is often centered around building and nurturing relationships through the exchange of emotions and fee... View the full answer