Final answer:
Research indicates that perceived differences in men's and women's communication styles, including how they make requests, can be minimal and culturally influenced, with men slightly more prone to directing and women tending to ask.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question of how men and women differ when making requests can be understood in the context of broader research on language and gender dynamics. Early research, like that of Robin Lakoff, suggested that women's speech could be characterized as uncertain and polite, with a tendency to use hedges and tag questions, whereas men's speech tended to be more direct. However, this view has been challenged by more recent studies. Janet Hyde's meta-analysis highlighted that many perceived differences in verbal behavior are minimal or nonexistent. Still, slight tendencies were observed, such as men interrupting slightly more and women being slightly more cooperative.
Additional research has shown that gendered communication styles are culturally relative, which means that the ways men and women are expected to communicate can vary significantly across different societies. Ethnographic studies indicate that in some cultures, the expected speech patterns for men and women are actually reversed when compared to American stereotypes. Moreover, when it comes to leadership, although some differences in style have been noted – with women leaders being more interpersonally oriented and men being more task-oriented – these are seen as minor, and often both genders adapt to organizational cultural norms or exhibit traits associated with both.
In summary, while some research has shown tendencies in how men and women communicate differently, including in the context of making requests, these differences are often slight and heavily influenced by cultural factors. It is crucial not to overgeneralize these observations and to recognize that individual variability can be as significant as any gender-based trends. Thus, the multiple-choice answer closest aligned to the research would be that men tend to direct; women tend to ask.