Using the previous stereotypical example when a woman drones on and on about some aspect of cooking that is important to her but not to the male listener in the room, the quite participant may simply "tune out" and the same is true of a man speaking within his comfort zone about say business or finance, the quiet participant may simply not listen to the information. Every person I know, including myself has experienced all the above phenomena in association with gendered communications. Challenges are many to clear understanding between the sexes and power, allowing others to feel safe secure and important as well as practicing active listening will clearly help an individual transverse this land mine of potential barriers. The potential personal and social conflicts associated with communications between genders is one of the most important research topics associated with communication and the examples, be they extreme from the Douglass work help illuminate how serious power struggles and the dogged maintenance of beliefs can challenge open communication and understanding.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, 1995.
Henley, Nancy M. "Chapter 2 Body Politics Revisited: What Do We Know Today?." Gender, Power, and Communication in Human Relationships. Ed. Pamela J. Kalbfleisch and Michael J. Cody. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995. 27-56.

Kalbfleisch, Pamela J., and Michael J. Cody, eds. Gender, Power, and Communication in Human Relationships. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.

Payne, Kay E. Different but Equal: Communication between the Sexes. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.

Trenholm, Sarah, Thinking Through Communication: an Introduction to the Study of Human Communication. New York, NY: Allyn & Bacon, 2004.