A critical review on women are warmer but no less assertive than men: Gender and language on Facebook

Abstract

Gender disparities in language have a long history, spanning subjects such as gender studies, psychology, linguistics, communication, and computational linguistics. Gender differences have been a source of contention in the past, but a consensus has evolved that gender is still an important characteristic deserving of scientific inquiry. This critical review aimed to critique and analyze the study about gender and language on Facebook. Based on their research, they discovered that men and women use language differently with the greatest difference being in the degree of interpersonal friendliness. Self-identified females used language that was warmer, friendlier, and more focused on people, whereas self-identified males used vocabulary that was more socially detached, disagreeable, and focused on items. Women, contrary to popular belief, were slightly more forceful in their discourse than men. They discovered affiliative and assertive language through automated assessments rather than human judgments, which are more susceptible to rater bias. With this, the researchers somewhat open our minds to the idea that men and women do have their own content, conversational styles, and attitudes towards speaking with others.