Stereotypes can have both positive and negative influence on cross-gender
communication. On one hand, they help us to have a rough idea about what we expect people
of a gender group to do. On the other hand, any form of stereotyping is potentially an
obstruction to successful intercultural communication because it will blind us to real
difference in a discourse. The most obstructive form of stereotyping, however, is also
sometimes called negative stereotyping.