Sabrina's Discourse Portfolio
Gendered Communication In Business -- DA #5
Introduction
Gender inequality present within professional settings remains a long-discussed issue in business culture. In order to begin working towards the abolishment of this issue, it is necessary first to identify the areas contributing to its prolonged existence so solutions can be accurately formed. The dichotomy of gendered communication styles is one example of a force upholding inequality where males continue to dominate corporate culture over females. Studies reveal that “feminine communication is more indirect, elaborate, and emotional, whereas masculine communication is more direct, succinct, and instrumental” (Von Hippel, et al.). The mere tone of communication reflects the distinct differences depending on gender, introducing the source of a possible power dynamic. The feminine tendency to have an indirect and emotional linguistic style “can help establish rapport and encourage the speaking partner to respond, but it can also reflect uncertainty, tentativeness, and a lack of authority” (Von Hippel, et al.). Males may find it easier to obtain power in a dynamic where their female counterparts lack the confidence of authority as well as are discouraged from exuding any type of control. Often when women attempt to exhibit a sense of authority, they are met with judgemental comments labeling them as aggressive or bossy. These labels are rooted in stereotypes sustained by the same societal issue of gender inequality. Women are “encouraged to be cordial and pleasing,” while men are urged to stand out and “praised when they are competitive, outspoken, and even combative” (Humphrey). As these labels and stereotypes continue to be reinforced in business culture, the cycle of inequality continues, and women remain in the weaker position. This discourse analysis seeks to analyze professional communication instances to locate if and where gendered rhetorical device behaviors occur.
Data & Methods
I have collected a set of texts between both men and women communicating in professional situations. I reached out to ten individuals and included the three responses to display for analysis. The data consists of conversations found through both email and digital platform messaging.
Data Set #1
Data Set #1 Analysis
The conversation in this first data set appears to be between two males on Linkedin. The first male reaches out to the second in hopes of learning more about a specific company he is newly interested in, to which the second male responds by detailing the key aspects of his experience. Following his response, the first male adds a request to learn more from the second male by setting up a meeting. Both men are direct and share an understanding of the goal they are trying to achieve from the conversation. The first male does not add any extra information in his opening message that shows signs of wanting to develop a personal connection, thus demonstrating that his purpose of contact was simply gathering information. If extra information was added, such as a longer greeting out of an emotional aspect of respect, it might deter from the point that the first male sought. It also may plainly be unnecessary to include an emotional layer to the conversation, as it is already implied that he respects the second male enough as a trusted source to confide in for information. The second male continues with the first male's direct tone through the use of concise and declarative sentences. For example, he included the stand-alone sentence, “partners are nice and approachable.” These short statements allow for multiple to be included sequentially after one other, providing the first male with a plentiful amount of details in a conclusive form. Additionally, based on the substance of the statements, both individuals demonstrate the male tendency to value persuasion. Female communication styles tend to emphasize “the importance of communication that expresses feelings and emotions,” while males “place a higher importance on active forms of communication such as persuasion and narrative techniques” (Churgai). The mention of “happy hours” and clubs to “join and socialize” are most likely chosen to persuade the first male to engage more in the company. Despite the professional setting, the second male appears less formal in his response as he uses abbreviated words and noticeable punctuation errors. This reveals the possible lack of worry about the impression or overall perception he has of the first male since he appears as the dominant figure distributing the information.
Data Set #2
Data Set #2 Analysis
This conversation is between a female and a male, communicated by email. The woman appears to have reached out to a male representative from a company she wishes to learn more about by setting up a meeting. The male then responds with the option to virtually have a conversation at a future date due to his limited availability. The woman begins her message with a greeting followed by the receiver's name. She then proceeds to thank the man for his time at a prior event, mention the content she appreciated, and request the possibility of setting up a meeting. In contrast, the man starts his response by only stating the woman’s name to then immediately outlining his availability. The two different sentence structures exemplify how “women generally place greater value than men on affectively oriented skills such as comforting and ego support” while men “emphasize the importance of communication skills through which activities are smoothly and enjoyably coordinated” (Mortenson 58). Taking a closer look at the wording, it’s interesting to note how the woman uses multiple reinforcing phrases such as “I was hoping” and “if you are available” in her short written email. This rhetorical choice is most likely due to the tendency for women to use “qualifying statements with “I think” and “I feel,” as well as permission words” (Turk). Conversely, the response from the man utilizes the opposite form of word choice, as exhibited in his confident and direct statements like “I will.” His direct tone is also evidenced by his short and brief statements ending quickly with periods. The woman also uses periods and includes two exclamation points at the beginning and end of her email. The stereotypical masculine “style of emailing—confident, emotionally detached, light on exclamation points—is seen as more professionally competent,” thus encouraging women to act more like men when communicating if they wish to succeed (Turk). Regardless of the exclamation points, the woman's email still remains clear and concise with a consistent message. Therefore, the succession coming from male communication styles highlights the issue that women are stuck in a repressive cycle where they are not treated equally unless they abide by certain professional standards already catered to men.
Data Set #3
Data Set #3 Analysis
This conversation, held over Linkedin, is exhibited as between a male and a female. The man reaches out to the woman to gain insight into her personal experiences with a specific company. He starts his message with a brief introduction to foreshadow what he’s possibly interested in and includes his source of referral. The woman only responds with a brief reply stating her lack of availability; however, she includes that she would like him to follow up with his resume. In contrast to the past two samples of data, the word and style choices seem reversed in terms of gender. For example, the man includes exclamation marks while the woman refrains. Additionally, the man took the time to craft a salutation confirming his appreciation for an opportunity with her company, followed by the qualifying phrase, “I hope to hear from you soon.” One possibility for these reversed roles lies in the respondent's authority positions. The woman carries the power and authority over the man in this situation, as the man seeks after her for further aid beyond his own capabilities. A study on the threat of gendered stereotypes supports this possibility by finding that “women threatened by the stereotype that men are better leaders adopted a more masculine communication style” (Von Hippel, et al.). To reduce the risk of appearing incompetent or judged on her leadership style, the woman seemingly adopted a traditional masculine communication style. The societal pressure that “stereotypically masculine characteristics (such as assertiveness and self-reliance) are often seen as prerequisites for
effective leadership” is a typical worry for female leaders (Von Hippel, et al.). This concern is most likely what caused the womans’ rhetorically masculine-styled response.
Reflection
When gathering data from participants, it was interesting to see how the male respondents submitted conversations taken from Linkedin, while the female respondent provided her conversation from emails. I believe this demonstrates the male informal and risky nature when they communicate professionally in comparison to women. Messaging over Linkedin also supports the male encouragement to stand out and appear competitive, as it generally sets apart those who make the effort to personally find and connect with someone on a more personal level. When examining the responses' word choice and sentence structure, the gendered communication styles were clearly evident based on the stereotypical patterns outlined in the analyses. The constant obligation others feel in determining the way in which they believe women should speak has suppressed their voices to a point where they communicate in ways mainly to avoid certain labels, whether it be aggressive, unprofessional, or emotional. Throughout the process of studying this data, I was able to see that despite the clarity and cohesiveness of their messages, women are pressured to present themselves in a skewed way based on societal standards. Women should be encouraged to abide by the linguistic choices they feel comfortable with as an effort to deconstruct the systemic standards placed in business culture.