Using E-mail for Personal Relationships

TLDR

The study investigates whether gender differences in maintaining personal relationships observed in person and on the phone also appear in e‑mail, and whether e‑mail alters these interaction patterns. The authors examined gendered patterns of e‑mail use—relationship types, local versus distant contacts, and message content—using qualitative and quantitative data gathered over a four‑year period. The results show that e‑mail reproduces existing gender differences: women report more satisfaction, are more likely to maintain kin ties and distant contacts, send more personal and bursty messages, and benefit from a stylistic fit that helps them expand long‑distance networks.

Abstract

Do the gender differences found when men and women maintain personal relationships in person and on the phone also emerge when they use electronic mail? Alternately, does e-mail change these ways of interacting? The authors explore the types of relationships women and men maintain by e-mail, differences in their e-mail use locally and at a distance, and differences in the contents of messages they send. The findings are based on qualitative and quantitative data collected during a 4-year period. These data suggest that using e-mail to communicate with relatives and friends replicates preexisting gender differences. Compared to men, women find e-mail contact with friends and family more gratifying. Women are more likely than men to maintain kin relationships by e-mail. They are more likely than men to use e-mail to keep in touch with people who live far away. Women's messages sent to people far away are more filled with personal content and are more likely to be exchanged in intense burst. The fit between women's expressive styles and the features of e-mail seems to be making it especially easy for women to expand their distant social networks.