Do Women Gossip More Than Men?
"Gossip is a female vice — women can't help sharing everyone's business."
Naturalistic observation of everyday speech finds men and women spend roughly the same amount of time gossiping — about 14% of conversation. The stereotype survives because what each gender gossips about differs: men gossip more about colleagues and public figures (coded as 'just talking'); women gossip more about friends and relationships (coded as 'gossip').
What the data says
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Recording 467 adults across their daily lives, men and women spent 47 vs 53 minutes per day on gossip — a statistically insignificant difference. The topic varied: men gossiped more about acquaintances' work/status, women about friends' relationships.
Robbins & Karan, Social Psychological and Personality Science (2019) · 2019 · EAR device recordings over 3-4 days per participant
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Across 52 workplace conversation samples, men engaged in negative/evaluative talk about absent colleagues at rates equivalent to women.
Kurland & Pelled, Academy of Management Review (2000) · 2000 · Review of workplace communication research
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In a study of 172 participants, women rated other women's gossip as more 'gossip-like' than identical content from men — a labeling bias that may explain the stereotype's persistence.
Levin & Arluke, Sex Roles (1985) · 1985 · Survey experiment
Where it came from
The word 'gossip' originated in Old English *godsibb* — 'god sibling,' meaning godparent — and was a neutral term for close companions for 500 years. Its gendering to 'idle female chatter' appears in the 16th century, when English courts began regulating 'scolds' (loud, disputatious women) with ducking stools. The word's meaning narrowed as its use as a gendered slur broadened.
What this means
The stereotype is a labeling pattern, not a behavioral one. When men talk about coworkers' performance, their divorces, their status moves, it gets called 'networking' or 'shop talk.' When women do the same, it gets called gossip. The linguistic sort preserves the stereotype by making the equivalent male behavior invisible as gossip.
Frequently asked
Do women gossip more than men?
No — naturalistic observation finds men and women spend similar amounts of time on gossip. The topics differ.
What's the difference in what men and women gossip about?
Robbins & Karan (2019) found men gossip more about status and acquaintances; women gossip more about friends and relationships. Neither talks significantly more than the other.
Why does it seem like women gossip more?
Identical content gets labeled 'gossip' more readily when spoken by women than by men — a labeling bias documented in Levin & Arluke's early work and replicated since. 'Shop talk' and 'networking' are often functionally identical to gossip but coded male.
Is gossip always bad?
No. Sociological research (Dunbar 1996) argues gossip is a critical social-bonding and information-sharing mechanism. Positive gossip — praising absent parties — makes up roughly 9% of workplace talk, per Kurland & Pelled.
Where does the word 'gossip' come from?
Old English *godsibb*, meaning 'god sibling' — originally a neutral term for close companions. It acquired its current pejorative female connotation in the 16th century.