Health and Hearing: A Broader View (Part I)
November 12, 2015
Deafie Blogger joins Open Ears
November 17, 2015Do Women Explain Hearing Loss Better Than Men?
Women are able to communicate their hearing loss better than men, according to a new study in the US.
“Women were more than twice as likely as men to report telling people not just about their hearing challenges, but about how to help them,” according to the survey, which consisted of 337 patients at a hearing clinic in Massachusetts. “Patients were also more than twice as likely to engage in these conversations about hearing loss if they had tried before and been met with support and accommodations.”
The results can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Maybe it was pride preventing men from speaking out about their hearing loss, maybe it was denial, or maybe it was because of their lack of a support system.
According to the study, the women’s approach of disclosing their hearing loss included saying, “I don’t hear as well out of my right ear. Please walk on my left side.” This is compared to the men’s responses, which was more discrete and didn’t offer solutions for better communication, such as “I am hard of hearing.”
You can read the full study, here.
If you’re having troubles explaining your hearing loss to others, we’ve previously written about some things you can do to communicate effectively with someone who has hearing loss. Feel free to share it with your loved ones!
Try these 7 tips the next time you talk with a family member, coworker, or friend with hearing loss.
By making a few simple adjustments, you’ll both get more out of the conversation (whether you’re a man or woman.)
