Saving Your Second Marriage Before It StartsНамуна

Have You Bridged the Gender Gap?

A survey of more than 1,000 married couples found that husbands and wives don’t tend to talk about the same things.

The leading discussion subject for men is news events (talked about in the previous week by 71 percent of respondents), followed by work (68 percent).

Women, on the other hand, talked about food (76 percent) and health (72 percent).

Men were far more likely to have talked about sports (65 percent to women's 42 percent) while women were more likely to have discussed personal problems (52 percent to men's 40 percent).

Whatever the topic, however, we share one thing in common. Husbands and wives depend on communication to keep their relationship running. It is the lifeblood of every marriage. Couples who can’t communicate well, who don’t speak clearly and listen carefully, soon fall apart. It’s key to bridging the gender gap.

In the previous day’s reading, we explored communication in general, but how are you using it to bridge the inevitable gender gap that so many couples struggle with? If you were to rate your effectiveness in understanding each other as a man and a woman, on a scale of one to ten, how well are you doing? And what could help you do this better?

Another important question: How would you rate yourself when it comes to listening to your partner? Be honest as you talk to each other about this. What seems to distract you most (e.g., your phone) while you’re trying to have a conversation and why? More importantly, what will you do to minimize the distraction? After all: “The road to the heart is the ear,” wrote Voltaire. Carefully listening to your partner is the quickest path across the gender gap and it’s sure to engender more intimacy.

As you read these biblical passages, consider how they can inform your actions in this area.

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