Men usually have dens or work areas in the hope where they can go to work independently, but a woman’s “room” is traditionally considered to be the kitchen or sewing room (Gamble, p.101).  This supports the notion that men have a greater personal bubble, or area that moves with them and separates them from others, than women. The space surrounding women is considered more public and accessible since they are generally more social and of lower status than men.

In an episode of MTV’s “Teen Cribs,” a teenage girl showed her father’s personal office in the house. It had a secret entrance and was off limits to other members of the family unless the father calls them down to discipline them or speak with him. The fact that the father controlled who could enter his den shows that this was his own space in which he separated himself showed his authority in the household.

Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2003). The Gender Communication Connection. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Link to Teen Cribs homepage. I do not remember which teen’s house this specific artifact was in.