Gender, Image and Discourse: Cultured Speech in Mexico City in 1960

This paper examines the negotiation of social image and gender roles using an (im)politeness approach. We discursively analyze six communicative exchanges recorded in Mexico City in 1960, involving seven educated women and four educated men ages 25 to 59. Strict adherence to traditional gender roles among men and older women and some questioning among young and professional women was observed. This pattern was reflected in their discourse: women used strategies associated with the traditional female role (concealment and non-directiveness) whereas men drew on those corresponding to the male role (direct mechanisms). However, in conflict situations, women utilized direct acts whereas men employed indirect, attenuated ones.