In my line of work, I’m constantly reminded of the very real differences in the ways in which men and women communicate. One of my best friends, for instance, would complain about her husband in every conversation. Her main grouse was that he never did a fair share of the housework. I asked her once, “Have you discussed what a fair share is?” It turned out they hadn’t divided up the tasks, or talked about him taking on more. “Shouldn’t he just get that that’s what I need? Why do I have to even ask?” she said to me.
I see this so often — women struggling to voice a demand, to a man used to just stating what he needs. When this friend started spelling out exactly how she wanted the chores divided, her husband agreed and years of dissatisfaction were resolved.
Similarly, a lot of men fail at communication in an essential element of everyday conversation…