Journal of Organization and Human Behaviour

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Has the gender binary at work dissolved? A study of inter - gender social interaction in the workplace


Affiliations
1 Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Hindu College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The 21st century has become known for more fluid discourses on gender, leading to a certain level of exultation that the gender binary is finally dissolving. The digitisation of work has created several opportunities for a gender-neutral work field, although admittedly, it has also brought new challenges. Traditionally, workplace studies have revealed the presence of a sharp gender divide at work, even in terms of workplace interactions. This article derives from research among employees in information technology (IT) corporations in India, conducted to investigate different elements of organisational dynamics, including but not limited to, the changing nature of inter-gender organisational interactions and behaviour. It is found that although it is indeed the case that men and women have divergent conversational idioms, the nature of inter-personal communication in the workplace is not as perplexing as literature seems to suggest. Paradoxically, an upbringing in the close-knit Indian family system has already familiarised both men and women with the conversational rituals of either gender, creating conditions for more effective social interactions in the workplace.


Keywords

Communication, Gender, Information Technology Sector, Interaction
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Basow, S. A., & Rubenfeld, K. (2003). Troubles talk: Effects of gender and gender-typing. Sex Roles, 48, 183-187. doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022411623948

  • Bear, J. B., & Glick, P. (2017). Breadwinner bonus and caregiver penalty in workplace rewards for men and women. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8, 780-788.

  • Braun, S., Stegmann, S., Hernandez Bark, A. S., Junker, N. M., & van Dick, R. (2017). Think manager-think male, think follower-think female: Gender bias in implicit followership theories. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 47, 377-388. doi:10.1111/jasp.12445

  • Bucher, R. D. (2015). Diversity consciousness: Opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities. Pearson.

  • Burke, A. (2017, December 5). 10 facts about American women in the workforce. Brookings.

  • Catalyst Inc. (2020). Quick take: Women in the workforce: Global. Retrieved January 30, from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-workforce-global/

  • Catalyst Inc. (2019, August 7). Quick take: Women in management. Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/ research/women-in-management/

  • Chodorow, N. (1978). The reproduction of mothering: Psychoanalysis and sociology of gender. Berkeley: University of California Press.

  • Coates, J. (2013). Women, men and language: A sociolinguistic account of gender differences in language (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.

  • Cohoon, J. M., & William A. (Ed.). (2008). Women and information technology: Research on underrepresentation. Massachusetts: MIT Press.

  • Davidson, M. J., & Cooper, C. L. (1992). Shattering the glass ceiling: The woman manager. London, England: Paul Chapman Publishing.

  • Eagly, A. H. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

  • Eyring, A., & Bette, A. S. (1998). Shattering the glass ceiling: Some successful corporate practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(3). Springer Stable. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25073075

  • Fivush, R. (1991). Gender and emotion in mother-child conversations about the past. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 1(4), 325-341.

  • Fletcher, J. K. (1999). Disappearing acts: Gender, power, and relational practice at work. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.

  • Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  • Gloor, J. L., Li, X., Lim, S., & Feierabend, A. (2018). An inconvenient truth? Interpersonal and career consequences of “maybe baby” expectations. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, 44-58.

  • Gray, J. (1992). Men are from Mars, women are from Venus: A practical guide for improving communication and getting what you want in a relationship. HarperCollins.

  • Hannerz, U. (1980). Exploring the city: Inquiries toward an urban anthropology. New York: Columbia University Press.

  • Hartmann, E. (1991). Boundaries in the mind: A new psychology of personality. New York: Basic Books.

  • Haynes, A. (2006). The glass ceiling in IT. In E. M.Trauth (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Gender and Information Technology (vol. 2). USA: Pennsylvania State University.

  • Hentschel, T., Braun, S., Peus, C., & Frey, D. (2018). The communality-bonus effect for male transformational leaders: Leadership style, gender, and promotability.European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 27, 112-125. doi:10.1080/135943 2X.2017.1402759

  • Hernandez Bark, A. S., Escartin, J., & van Dick, R. (2014).Gender and leadership in Spain: A systematic review of some key aspects. Sex Roles, 70, 522-537.

  • Kendall, S., & Tannen, D. (1997). Gender and language in the workplace. In R. Wodak (Ed.), Gender and discourse.London: Sage Publications.

  • Krotz, J. L. (2016). Being equal doesn’t mean being the same. Motivational Press.

  • Lakoff, R. T. (1975). Language and woman’s place. New York: Harper & Row.

  • Leaper, C. (1991). Influence and involvement in children’s discourse: Age, gender, and partner effects. Child Development, 62, 797-811.

  • Lyon, D. (1988). The information society: Issues and illusions. Cambridge: Polity Press.

  • Lyon, D. (2001). Information technology and the ‘information society’. In A. Giddens (Ed.), Sociology: Introductory Readings, Revised Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press.

  • Maltz, D. N., & Borker, R. (1982). A cultural approach to male-female miscommunication. In J. J. Gumpertz (Ed.), Language and Social Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  • Mason, E. S. (1994). Gender differences in job satisfaction.The Journal of Social Psychology, 135, 143-151.

  • Miller, J. B. (1976). Toward a new psychology of women. Boston: Beacon Press.

  • Morgenroth, T., & Heilman, M. E. (2017). Should I stay or should I go? Implications of maternity leave choice for perceptions of working mothers. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72, 53-56.

  • Mulac, A., Bradac, J. J., & Gibbons. P. (2001). Empirical support for the gender-as-culture hypothesis: An intercultural analysis of male/female language differences. Human Communication Research, 27, 121-152.

  • Mullany, L. (2011). Gendered discourse in the professional workplace. Palgrave Macmillan.

  • Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work and the will to lead. UK: W.H. Allen.

  • Statham, A. (1987). The gender model revisited: Differences in the management styles of men and women. Sex Roles,16, 409-429.

  • Steffens, M. C., Preuß, S., & Scheifele, C. (2019). Workrelated impression formation: Reviewing parenthood penalties and investigating a “fatherhood penalty” for single fathers. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 41,287-304.

  • Surrey, J. (1991). The relational self in women: Clinical implications. In J. V. Jordan, A. G. Kaplan, J. B. Miller, I. P. Stiver and J. L. Surrey (Eds.), Women’s growth in connection: Writings from the Stone Center (pp. 51-66). New York: Guilford Press.

  • Tannen, D. (1990). You just don’t understand: Women and men in conversation. New York: Ballantine Books.

  • Tannen, D. (1995a). Talking from 9 to 5: Women and men at work. William Morrow & Company.

  • Tannen, D. (1995b). The power of talk: Who gets heard and why. Harvard Business Review, September-October.

  • Triana, M. D. C., Jayasinghe, M., Pieper, J. R., Delgado, D. M., & Li, M. (2019). Perceived workplace gender discrimination and employee consequences: A metaanalysis and complementary studies considering country context. Journal of Management, 45, 2419-2447.

  • Waschatz, B. (2012, March 16). Co-workers from Mars and Venus. The Hindu: Business Line. Bangalore.

  • Wood, J. (2009). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

  • Woodall, M. K. (2001). How to talk so men will listen (3rd ed.). iUniverse.


Abstract Views: 168

PDF Views: 0




  • Has the gender binary at work dissolved? A study of inter - gender social interaction in the workplace

Abstract Views: 168  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Shalini Suryanarayan
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Hindu College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

Abstract


The 21st century has become known for more fluid discourses on gender, leading to a certain level of exultation that the gender binary is finally dissolving. The digitisation of work has created several opportunities for a gender-neutral work field, although admittedly, it has also brought new challenges. Traditionally, workplace studies have revealed the presence of a sharp gender divide at work, even in terms of workplace interactions. This article derives from research among employees in information technology (IT) corporations in India, conducted to investigate different elements of organisational dynamics, including but not limited to, the changing nature of inter-gender organisational interactions and behaviour. It is found that although it is indeed the case that men and women have divergent conversational idioms, the nature of inter-personal communication in the workplace is not as perplexing as literature seems to suggest. Paradoxically, an upbringing in the close-knit Indian family system has already familiarised both men and women with the conversational rituals of either gender, creating conditions for more effective social interactions in the workplace.


Keywords


Communication, Gender, Information Technology Sector, Interaction

References