Gender Differences

Tuesday in class we discussed communication. One of the topics was gender differences. I found these general trends to be 100% correct in my own relationship. I complain about work a lot to my boyfriend. Whenever I do, its not because I want to quit or I want him to fix it. I just want to vent. However, when I start complaining my boyfriend always tells me to confront my boss about the situation or to talk to my supervisor, etc . Then I get frustrated because I just want him to listen to my story not tell me to talk to someone else about it. I know that half the things I say are just because I had a bad day or what not. Anyways now that I know the tendency to want to solve everything is more of a gender trait I am much more understanding. When I told him about this he responded, "Why didn't you just tell me you only wanted me to listen about your day?" I thought that was implied! I guess what I am trying to say is that just because something is a "gender quality" doesn't mean that it is an absolute. My boyfriend does not get off the hook about listening to me complain just because he is male! Just like I don't get away with expecting him to pick up on issues I don't explicitly address. As a professional I believe it is important to know that these gender trends do exist, but not to hold them as excusses for poor communication or as something that cannot be changed.