This report will examine the aspects of nonverbal communications as they relate to establishing and maintaining a hierarchical structure in interpersonal relations. Special attention will be paid to sex-role behaviors and their part in maintaining male dominance in relationships. Nancy M. Henley, in her book Body Politics: Power, Sex and Nonverbal Communication, argues that nonverbal communication is an integral part of our lives and functions to preserve the strict hierarchal structure.
There is a relationship of space to hierarchy in human interactions, where "space" is analogous to territory. Sex is a determinant of who receives the most desirable space. Men can more easily cross territorial boundaries and take up more personal space. Women, the subordinate group, yield space to men to accommodate them. Taking up the least amount of space is considered feminine, while occupying an expansive amount of space is considered masculine. What space women do have is violated much more often than men's. The rich and powerful are privy to greater space.
With time, as with space, the dominant person has control over the duration of the encounter as well as its quality. Between colleagues, time is equally shared. The more intimate the relationship, the longer the time spent together. Conversely, the more impersonal the encounter, the briefer the interaction. The more powerful person is likely to make others wait, is more likely to infringe on their time, and is more likely to interrupt subordinates to accommodate others who are more important. Waiting is an intrinsic element of women's social role. Because our culture sees women's time as unimportant, their personal time is not viewed as their right. Making others wait is the dominant's way of maintaining the status quo.
Environment is also a key factor in keeping a hierarchical structure. Extreme height and expansive area are meant to be intimidating. A ...