The nattering classes! Women gossip for FIVE hours every day, claims study

It will come as no surprise to their often less talkative male counterparts.

The typical woman spends five hours a day – more than a third of her waking hours – chatting and gossiping, a study has revealed.

Whether at home or work women natter for about 298 minutes every day, it found.

Discussing other people’s problems, who is dating who and other people’s children form the basis of most of the chat.

Office gossip: Women spend up to five hours a day gossiping according to a new study

Other subjects that come up most regularly include sex, shopping and the soaps such as Eastenders or Coronation Street.

The report also found women spend 24 minutes a day discussing their weight, diets and dress size.

And one third of women say they spend a chunk of their day discussing what they are eating for lunch, while one quarter regularly exchange recipes.

The survey was commissioned to mark FirstCape Cafi Collection’s search to find Britain’s Queen of Chat.

 

'It is also interesting to see how the conversation differs between women talking to each other and women talking to their partners.'    -Steve Barton
 

Spokesman Steve Barton said: 'Woman are renowned for their ability to chat and men are fascinated by what they find to talk about when they get together.

'It’s interesting to see a list like this detailing exactly what topics women actually end up talking about that generate that level of buzz, energy and excitement.

'I never would have guessed food would have been such a hot topic. I’m pleased to see complaining about their partners was at the bottom of their list, though.

'It is also interesting to see how the conversation differs between women talking to each other and women talking to their partners.

WHAT WOMEN LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AND WITH WHOM

1. Shopping
2. Diet and exercise
3. Holidays
4. What they would do with a lottery win
5. Health worries
6. Lunch
7. Who’s seeing who
8. Other people’s relationship problems
9. Children
10. Recipes
11. Discussing arguments with their partner
12. Dress size
13. Soaps
14. Children
15. Other people’s children
16. Who they fancy
17. Mother in law
18. Cosmetic surgery
19. Complaining about partner
20. How people are aging

'And it’s really nice to see that most women are happy to have a quick chat with complete strangers.”

Women also like to talk about what cosmetic surgery procedures they would like, what their mother-in-law has said, and which celebrities they fantasise about.

The study also found the average women spends 17 minutes nattering before they get to work.

Those with friendly neighbours spend nearly half hour a week having a gossip or a moan together.

Thirty eight per cent even confess to spending 12 minutes a week passing the time of day by talking with shop staff.

Most women prefer chatting to their friends to anyone else but say they talk to their partner, mum and their best friend about completely different things.

Husbands are most likely to get the brunt of work talk, with a daily update from on how their partner's day has gone and who has annoyed them while the more juicy gossip is reserved for a woman's best friend.

But 36 per cent of women say they cannot be trusted to keep a friend’s secret and that they regularly tell their partner things they are told in confidence.

Most women prefer to chat face to face and also like to talk to friends one on one rather than in a big group.

Steve Barton added: 'So much chatter is done with friends over food and a glass of wine. It is clearly very much a breaking bread occasion.'

Really? Women enjoy talking about different subjects to different people in their lives