Gender Differences in the Workplace

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Aaron Alcantara

Professor Padilla-Wilson

Anthropology 5LS

27 March 2006

“Gender Differences in the Workplace”

To get a piece of the American Dream, you have to earn it. For a marginal portion of the population in America, they are either born with the wealth or obtained it quickly and easily. For many of us, it takes a long while until we see that Dream become a reality. Some of us work at home, some of us travel to different locations for work, and some of us work in a 9 to 5 central workplace. Usually we have to work with others and that is where I would like to introduce my topic, gender differences in the workplace. First I will talk about the females’ perspective, their challenges and barriers. Then I will talk about the males’ perspective next. Then I will put my spin on the controversial topic. We will begin with the ladies, after all, ladies first.

Women constantly experience dismissal at the workplace. According to Barbara Annis, the author of “Gender Differences in the Workplace,” if a woman were to pitch an idea in a meeting of some sort, she would be ignored or at least would not take her idea into consideration. But when a man restates the idea that was just introduced by the woman, everyone pays attention and takes his idea seriously. Statistically women are more susceptible to interruption than men in the workplace (Annis).

Testing of knowledge and ability is another issue that women have to encounter in a workplace with men. A man will automatically talk to a woman as if he was her “boss”

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or supervisor. And let’s say that the woman is in a superior position over the man, the woman still has to prove to him that her knowledge on the subject is worthy enough for her position and has to explain how she got up the corporate ladder (Annis).

“…Men’s dominance in conversation parallels their dominance in society (Podolefsky and Brown, 162).” In some ways, a lot of truth is behind that quote. “Women may try to raise their status by conforming more to standard speech. When they answer a question with a rising inflection, they may be expressing uncertainty and a lack of power. Alternatively, perhaps women want to be more cooperative conversationalists. Speaking in a more “standard” fashion is consistent with being more likely to be understood by others (Ember and Ember, 237).”

Women start to rethink of themselves and start to emulate those that are not constantly dismissed or tested which happen to be the men. Basically they start to act like men. But instead their plans backfire and they end up getting mislabeled for obvious reasons. It is definitely a bad example towards other women who are trying to climb up the corporate ladder and the perception of women in higher ranked positions (Annis).

Not only do women have it tough, which I admit they do coming from a male perspective, but men have issues as well. You cannot blame the fact that most men are brought up a certain way of thinking. Little boys are told to become presidents and doctors, a high ranking position. “Boys play in larger, more HIERARCHICALLY organized groups than do girls (Podolefsky and Brown, 165).” Little girls were taught to learn how to raise a child, to cook, domestic living, given a baby doll and an easy bake

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oven to play with. “Their play is often in private or semi-private settings that require

participants be invited in. Play is cooperative and activities are usually organized in NONCOMPETATIVE ways (Podolefsky and Brown, 164).” Times sure have changed over the years, especially in the present century. Men are confused as to what are the boundaries when it comes to attitude and behavior between women. Those new rules seem to differ for every individual, causing more confusion (Annis).

Communication is definitely a huge difference between men and women, even outside the workplace and into personal lives. Men claim that women do not interpret or react the way they wanted them to when they talk to them. Men end up thinking about what they’re going to say and how are they going to say it even before they start talking to a woman (Annis). I guess this explains why women have a greater tendency to ask more questions than men (Podolefsky and Brown, 161). Either the men are not explaining enough detail which research shows it is true or women are not comprehending at all and are just agreeing with everything men say even in circumstances where women shouldn’t agree with what men are saying (Podolefsky and Brown,