# Women and ringing telephones? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174 "2008-07-11T19:22:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/1 "2008-07-11T19:22:50Z")
Take my word for it, I’m _not_ one of those men who criticize women. But why do so many women (most, by quite a bit) drop everything at the sound of a ringing phone? Some men do too, but not nearly as many. Let’s call it an endearing difference. 😉 While talking to someone, a woman will give you the finger (the “wait a minute” index finger) and answer. She’ll usually keep it short and apologize when she ends the call, true, but she will answer. It seems a little different with cell phones, but I haven’t enough data yet. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/2 "2008-07-11T19:35:08Z")
I don’t know why but it does drive me crazy. Out of respect I usually turn off my ringer on a date (or not take my phone at all), but every woman I have dated brings their phone, ringer on, and will breaks off any conversation - no matter how intimate - to answer it when it rings. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/3 "2008-07-11T19:36:39Z")
Beats hell out of me. I wish the infernal telephone had been invented _after_ the internet, when nobody would have found it worth having. The only time I answer the phone at work is when it won’t stop ringing and nobody else is picking it up. I can’t say that my experience jibes with yours, as it’s usually the people whose loved ones are most likely to call them all day long at the office who pick up the phone, and that’s as likely to be the men as the women. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/4 "2008-07-11T19:37:43Z")
I rarely answer my phone. It drives my boyfriend crazy. He always answers his. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/5 "2008-07-11T19:42:59Z")
Women always have to answer the phone? When did that start happening? I’m female and I cannot stand answering the phone. When people call during mealtimes and even when I just don’t feel like talking, I ignore it. Unfortunately, I’ve been “blessed” with a father-in-law who doesn’t have anything better to do than call until the answering machine picks up, not leave a message, rinse and repeat about three times until he actually gets that we’re not answering and are apparently not planning to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/6 "2008-07-11T19:54:16Z")
(checks) yea, woman here, and when I’m with other people, my cell phone is most often on vibrate mode if it’s not actually off. I have a friend, however, who cannot stop texting the entire time we’re together. Someday I shall have to tell **him** how much it bugs me. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/7 "2008-07-11T19:58:25Z")
I’m not that girl. My grandmother is that girl, even in the checkout line for Og’s sake. I have a therapist relative who answers her cell phone DURING SESSION with clients. It drives me batshit and I refuse to call her because she’s always saying, ‘‘I’m in a session right now, can I call you back?’’ Dumb bitch just don’t answer the phone! In my experience men do it just as often as women do. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/8 "2008-07-11T19:58:36Z")
I don’t think it’s a hard and fast rule, but I think women, as a general tendancy, tend to answer the phone more. Maybe it’s because they are more verbally oriented than men. I cannot count on this tendancy when I call my parents. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/9 "2008-07-11T20:14:46Z")
Well, I didn’t expect a lot of women to reply with “Yeah, I’m one of those rude, insensitive women who cut off their lover’s sweet nothings to answer the phone”. Now I’m in for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/10 "2008-07-11T20:20:11Z")
I have to answer the phones at work, I damn sure don’t feel the urge to do it at home. Besides, the boy-child gets it by the second ring. I also keep my cell off all the time so the battery doesn’t run down. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/11 "2008-07-11T20:37:30Z")
Not me-- hate talking on the phone, except under rare circumstances. Hate even listening to voice mail! I almost always let it go to mail. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/12 "2008-07-11T20:37:49Z")
Um… because men never turn their bluetooth headsets off? Or are happy to just tap away at their Blackberries while you’re having a conversation with them? Personally, I hate talking on the phone. Then again, my friends and associates know this, so if they’re calling it’s probably pretty important. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/13 "2008-07-12T00:24:56Z")
I know that emergency vehicles’ sirens are designed to trigger the “crying baby” action response in people. Maybe the phone does a similar thing? ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/14 "2008-07-12T00:27:41Z")
If we accept the premise that women are more likely to answer a ringing phone (which I don’t), I would wager that the reason for it is that about a zillion times more women than men have been professional receptionists and had to answer phones for a living. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/15 "2008-07-12T00:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] I know that emergency vehicles’ sirens are designed to trigger the “crying baby” action response in people. Maybe the phone does a similar thing? [/QUOTE] I actuallythought about that. The old “Mother Instinct”. It might be one of the kids calling. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/16 "2008-07-12T00:30:14Z")
I’m a woman, and I try not to answer cell phones/talk on them if someone is there, unless I really need to take the call. ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/17 "2008-07-12T00:49:19Z")
When I was a kid my dad would always want to answer the phone if it rang during dinner. My mom believed this was downright uncivilized and would sometimes physically bar him from reaching it to answer it, heh. So my anecdotal evidence cancels out yours and I think we have a problem with the premise to start with. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/18 "2008-07-12T00:54:31Z")
[QUOTE=Tanaqui] When I was a kid my dad would always want to answer the phone if it rang during dinner. My mom believed this was downright uncivilized and would sometimes physically bar him from reaching it to answer it, heh. So my anecdotal evidence cancels out yours and I think we have a problem with the premise to start with. [/QUOTE] I’m a guy too, and I’m the same as your dad. I think this is only because some fuckers wait and wait and wait on the other end of the line, and there is nothing more jarring than a loud ringing phone going unanswered. You’re certainly not going to get much dinner table chat with that going on. IMHO, it’s less obtrusive to excuse yourself from the table, answer the phone, say, “Sorry. We’re having dinner. I’ll call you back” and return to the table. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/19 "2008-07-12T00:59:32Z")
[QUOTE=Gala Matrix Fire] If we accept the premise that women are more likely to answer a ringing phone (which I don’t), I would wager that the reason for it is that about a zillion times more women than men have been professional receptionists and had to answer phones for a living. [/QUOTE] I don’t have the facility to do the scientific test, but my anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. Has there been any objective research? Wanna make a poll? Although that wouldn’t prove anything. ---
**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174/20 "2008-07-12T01:09:36Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] I’m a guy too, and I’m the same as your dad. I think this is only because some fuckers wait and wait and wait on the other end of the line, and there is nothing more jarring than a loud ringing phone going unanswered. You’re certainly not going to get much dinner table chat with that going on. IMHO, it’s less obtrusive to excuse yourself from the table, answer the phone, say, “Sorry. We’re having dinner. I’ll call you back” and return to the table. [/QUOTE] I think this is a generational gap - Many of the parents of people old enough to be posting on this board learned their phone etiquette in the days prior to automated voice mail. One would either have the phone ring until the person on the other end gave up, or until an answering machine picked up and everyone got to listen to the message as it was being left. I don’t have a home phone, but my cell goes to voice mail after three rings, so I’ve actually got a very short window of opportunity for answering. As for the OP, I generally don’t answer, years of call centre work has left me downright apathetic with regards to phone interaction. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-and-ringing-telephones/456174.md?page=2)