Japan has placed strict gender roles in its traditional culture. Men were taught to be strong and fearless. They were encouraged to dominate children and women, and maintain complete control. Women in this culture, however, were taught to be reserved, submissive, and to obey their husbands and their male children. The Japanese also embrace the traditional idea of gender division where a man provides for his family and a woman stays at home doing housework and caring for the children. Women were in all ways subordinate to men, they were urged to live according to the saying "umeyo fuyaseyo" - produce more babies and increase the population. Women living under the Shogunate, did not exist legally. Women could not own property, and "...husband may kill his wife for being lazy or bad."

I believe that both Mr.Berry and Ms.Tannen serve valid points to those suffering communication issues with their significant others. Berry lets us see the male side of the argument, while Tannen seems to defend the females. Barry makes a poing that the male thinks less about situations at hand and more about conflicts that need to be dealt with at a later date. Tannen lets us see the over-analization of the female not only in the workplace but at home as well.While the female seemilgly puts the needs of her significant other ahead of her own, she is constantly hinting at a larger issue. Ultimately, we're bound to come to the conclusion that we'll never break the barrier between the way the male and female brains collide. As two different genders, it is only natural that we think, live and converse in different ways, and as long as we can deal with the fact that we can't all get all the time, we'll be just fine.