My husband has accused me of not answering questions directly, but rather giving a roundabout answer full of explanation first and eventually getting to what he wants to know.  Sometimes I wonder if all he really hears is “…………………………………………….. (answer) ……………………..”

So perhaps then it is not a big surprise to find that in a recent study of 3000 men and women conducted by Grammarly, 74.80% of those respondents found that women are more likely to write long, descriptive sentences.  Women are also more likely to write about people versus things and focus on character development instead of, as per the study, getting “to the point” or crafting a plot driven narrative.

Maybe it’s a Mars/Venus thing based in psychology, sociology, and biology?  Having been told I have a –ahem- problem getting to the point, I guess I can identify with these results, but does it mean women are better writers?

Certainly the female gender has been praised with having “better” communication and “people” skills, which is probably why so many of us are in the public relations field, television, radio, human resources, social work, etc.  But writing, while clearly a tool for exchanging ideas and passing on information, is an art form.

Are men or women better musicians?  Better actors? Better painters? I don’t think you can make a determination.  If writing is a creative art, then I think it is very difficult to try to assess the success of one sex over the other.   

Image via Grammarly.