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March 3, 2003
Dane Archers new video tackles men, women,
and romantic love
By Jennifer McNulty
Despite what the self-help books say about men and women being from
different planets, there are very earthly factors that contribute to
the problems men and women encounter in their shared quest for satisfying
love relationships.
The campus is invited to the UCSC premiere of Gender and
Relationships on Monday, March 3, at 12:30 in Room 240, College
Eight.
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Gender and Relationships: Male-Female Differences
in Love and Marriage is produced by Dane Archer, a UCSC
professor of sociology. |
The new video Gender and Relationships: Male-Female Differences
in Love and Marriage illuminates the roots of "gendered"
patterns of communication and interaction that challenge many adults
in intimate relationships. Produced by Dane Archer, a professor of sociology
at UCSC and an expert on gender and communication, Gender and Relationships
helps demystify the differences between men and women in ways that resonate
with viewers of all ages.
"There is no one path to attraction, courtship, love, and marriage,
and the difficulties can leave you wondering if men and women have the
same needs, hopes, and dreams," said Archer, who deftly highlights
factors that contribute to the gender gap in relationships, beginning
with a study showing how differently adults interact with a baby they
think is a boy than with a baby they think is a girl.
The latest in Archers series of bestselling educational videotapes
on nonverbal communication, cultural differences, and gender, Gender
and Relationships combines personal testimonials with the insights
of trained professionals to help instructors reach students in ways
that will make them think critically about gender, attraction, relationships,
and marriage.
Imagine, for example, having the opportunity to share one relationship
insight with one million members of the opposite sex. Archer, who asked
both men and women for their ideas, found remarkable consensus among
women, who urged men to "Listen--just listen" without trying
to "solve the problem." Men, by contrast, pleaded with women
to communicate directly with them and to make their conversational needs
explicit.
Consider the insights of children of divorce, who, when asked
about their own prospects of living "happily ever after,"
recalled the conflict in their parents marriage and expressed
grave doubts about the likelihood they would find happiness in a long-lasting
love relationship.
Hear from gays and lesbians about the rights and privileges
same-sex couples are denied.
Gender and Relationships presents compelling testimony from
men and women of varied cultural and social backgrounds who discuss
gender differences in love, courtship, "couplehood," marriage,
emotions, and understanding.
With sensitivity and humor, Archer lets real people describe the hurdles
and triumphs on the road to love. Their candid testimonials unmask gender
roles and sex-role socialization more poignantly than any lecture could,
revealing the pitfalls of conventional wisdom about gender. Gender
and Relationships reveals the gulf of misperception, misunderstanding,
and heartbreak that can separate women and men even when they are involved
in the most intimate and important relationships of their lives.
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