In Ch. 7 of our text, Eisenberg summarizes Karen Ashcraft's four frames of identity: Gender Differences at work, Gender Identity as Organizational Performance, Gendered Organizations, and Gender Narratives in Popular Culture. Gender differences have always interested me, especially when it comes to communication styles. As a female, I know my way of communicating is very different than a male. I know that there are some people are firm believers in Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus but that concept is something that has also been debated by those such as Deborah Tannen.
One arena that I see gender differences take place in is at the workplace. For one, at my job, I see confidential information regarding job offers to CEOs of our portfolio companies. I must admit that I have seen a job offer for both a male and female CEO with similar qualifications... but there was a difference in salary for the two (female's lower than male's). I know that there are many people who strive for job equality, but there are some industries (especially in the white collar corporate world) where it is just the status quo: women will be paid less than men sadly to say. The example that is given in our text about the equally qualified man and woman receiving job offers, but the man negotiates for higher pay is really eye opening. When you put the numbers in perspective like that, it makes you think "I really need to speak up." I can see how some women are too... I'm not sure if timid is the word, but hesitant to negotiate for more money. I think it's just our mannerisms. I've been in positions where it's time to discuss my review and pay... and it's a difficult thing to ask for. I know this isn't the case for everyone, but if we [women] were more forward and direct in the workplace, we could hopefully someday close the gap.
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12 years ago
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Great post. I often feel hesitant to depict any differences between males and females within the personal and professional environments (because I want to feel we are all universally the same as humans), but the truth is there are huge differences in the way genders communicate. It is frustrating that women get paid lower even if they have similar qualifications as men. While much has changed within the last 100 years in terms of women in the workplace, I still see an uphill journey for rights to women and minorities. I also think it's true that women might not be able to assert themselves as men do when asking for higher pay. I too agree that the gap of differences between men and women communicators in the workplace should be closed in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely problems with the Mars/Venus perspective. First, Gray provides no empirical evidence (research) to support his claims. Second, this perspective assumes we can't change--women and men are destined to communicate in very different ways. That's an easy excuse for not trying to take the perspective of someone else as well as a way to excuse one's own behavior. "Men are just that way" or "Women are just that way" simply isn't supported in well-designed research. But certainly there are gender differences based on culture. Research on adult-baby interaction shows that people interact very differently with baby girls than with baby boys. With girls, they're quieter and gentler. With boys, they're louder and more boisterous. I agree with you that women need to speak up, especially in the work place. Yahoo announced today that Carol Bartz is its new CEO. In interviews, she's noted how few women are in top management positions in Silicon Valley.
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