Prattle of the Sexes: A Debated Regarding the Differences Between Male and Female Writing Center Tutors

How could this not catch my eye?! 

The MSUDenver Writing Center has a pretty balanced number of female and male tutors, all of which seem to work together just fine. But how does gender diversity effect the writing center? It's not something I've naturally thought about until now. 

This article takes a female and male perspective (as written and researched by a female tutor, Lauren Gillispie, and male tutor, Alexander Olden), but enhances the gender stereotypes in order to assess the possible differences in the tutoring sessions:

Ben Rafoth, in his article entitled “Sex in the Center: Gender Differences in Tutorial Interactions,” mentions the fact that a female “wants to build rapport or get emotionally closer to the person she is talking with” (Rafoth 2). 

So women are more likely to greet the student with a 2-5 minute introductory conversation about their day or such before jumping into the assignment. It shows the student that the tutor is more of a peer than an upper hand. Males on the other hand tend to be plain, simple, and straight to the point, simply introducing themselves then beginning with the paper.

In a study comparing ten male and female graduate student writing tutors, researcher and professor of linguistics Therese Thonus found that “Female tutors...favored first- and second-person modal strategies (such as, approaching a correction by saying, “I think you should”) rather than the imperatives chosen by male tutors” (1). 

Thonus’s study also notes that “male tutors were more likely to select the most forceful suggestion type, imperatives” (Thonus 15). 

According to Thonus, “females were more likely to resort to interruptions than were their male colleagues” (6). Lauren (the female author of the article) believes females interrupt more because "we are either: a) eager to point out something you did correctly and sounds fantastic in the paper or b) excited to share with you a fabulous suggestion for your assignment"(16). As Ben Rafoth states so accurately, “a common female conversation style is to maintain equality and to avoid any obvious show of power” (2).

Lauren and Alexander both agree that "when it comes to tutoring writers, both male and female, tutors place improving your writing process first. While it would be impossible to completely change an individual tutor’s style, it’s both necessary and beneficial for each gender to be aware and respectful of the typical habits of the other sex. This general understanding will be beneficial not only to the tutors, but their tutees as well" (16).

Lauren and Alexander's Works Cited (as other references)

Rafoth, Ben, et al. “Sex in the center: Gender Differences in Tutorial Interactions.” The Writing Lab Newsletter 24.3 (1999): 1-5.
Thonus, Terese. “Tutors as Male and Female: Gender Language in Writing Conferences.” American Association for Applied Linguistics. March 23-
26, 1996. Chicago, IL.

ARTICLE (pg. 15-16):

https://writinglabnewsletter.org/archives/v31/31.2.pdf