GENDER DIMENSION IN NONVERBAL CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

The article deals with the challenges of cross-cultural communication with a special focus on gender issues. The author concentrates on haptic – the part of nonverbal communication based on touch – which is the most sensitive issue in view of cultural differences of gender roles and expectations – and scrutinizes gendered proxemic and haptic views and habits of high-contact and low-contact culture groups. Apart from different cultural patterns of gender-sensitive non-verbal behavior, the study outlines overlapping patterns of touch based on relationship of power with regard to gender and social status. The object of the cross-cultural research has been put into a broader context of gendered relations of power as expressed by hidden means of culture-based discursive verbal and non-verbal communication patterns between men and women. The research fi ndings and theoretical notions are illustrated with real cases from the press and the author’s experience of cross-cultural business communication. This interdisciplinary study brings the fi elds of gender linguistics, non-verbal and cross-cultural communication together and can essentially contribute to fostering communicative skills of international business, management and communication students.