Abstract

VAZQUEZ-GARCIA, Verónica  and  CHAVEZ-ARELLANO, María Eugenia. Women are more dangerous through words: gossip among students from the Autonomous University of Chapingo, in México. agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2006, vol.3, n.2, pp.107-137. ISSN 1870-5472.

This article describes gossip perceptions in young students at the second year of the high school in the Autonomous University of Chapingo (UACh) in México. The analysis centers around three subject areas related to gossip: its association with women, its social function, and alternatives in face of its impact on daily life. The results are: first, although prevails the stereotype of gossipy women, there is a recognition that men also gossip, albeit in a more discrete manner; second, the social function of gossip at the UACh can be of three kinds: the one that strengthens bonds;that which promotes personal interests; or the one that serves both purposes, depending on the context where it is spread and its content; third, men and women agree that gossip has a negative impact on people's lives, but women declare having been victims in larger percentages. Some of them consider that gossip is inevitable, while others foresee two alternatives to diminish its harm: educating people; the personal option of ignoring it, by changing behavior to avoid being its victim or confronting the person who spreads it.

Keywords : Alternatives in the face of gossip; stereotypes surrounding gossip; social function of gossip; impact of gossip.