Author: Bibby, Claire1
Published in National Security Journal, 05 April 2021
Figure 7: What best encourages or enables communication with people of a different gender – words used by men.
Figure 8: What best encourages or enables communication with people of a different gender – words used by women.
For men, what best enables communication with people of a different gender is being respectful, open, understanding, and culturally aware. Men are conscious of how they ‘treated’ people, referring to treating them as equals or with respect. Gender is the word referred to most often after respect. One man described his approach as “Actively seeking to include all genders in activities, discussions and roles, whilst adapting [my] approach to ensure their inclusion focuses on the skills, knowledge and ability that they contribute.”