Gender and Power as Speech in Interpersonal Communication: Public and Private Conversations .
Gender differences in interpersonal communication has been studied in the contexts of power and social roles. This essay considers the kinds of speech that take place in interpersonal communication where public and private conversations are compared. Two different research studies are examined for understanding how public and private speech can be studied in research settings, and for establishing a difference in the experiences of public and private conversations. Gender and power play a substantial role in determining the experiences of interpersonal communication, where women are subordinated in both public and private contexts of speaking. The difference is in the awareness of the role being played in conversations, where women are less aware of their role in public speech and more aware of their role in private speech. 9 pgs. Bibliography lists 8 sources.