Final answer:
Gender differences in workplace communication reflect a mix of socialization, cultural expectations, and stereotypes. While early research described women's speech as less assertive and men's as more dominant, this has been challenged by recent studies showing minimal differences in speech patterns of girls and boys, suggesting cultural rather than biological influences. Addressing gender stratification in communication can foster more equitable workplaces.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are notable style differences in how genders communicate in the workplace, influenced by both socialization and cultural expectations. In her seminal work, Robin Lakoff described women's speech in the 1970s as uncertain and overly polite, full of hedges, emotional language, euphemisms, and tag questions. Meanwhile, men's speech was often viewed as more assertive and interruptive, reflecting dynamics of power in conversation.
Contrastingly, ethnographic research shows these patterns can be culturally relative, with some societies associating women with confrontational styles and men with cooperative speech. Deborah Tannen suggested that American men and women belong to different communicative subcultures, leading to cross-cultural conversations in everyday interactions. Notions of inherent brain differences have been popularized, often linking speech styles with biological factors such as the corpus callosum and the amygdala.
However, research by Janet Hyde challenges these stereotypes, finding minimal differences in the speech patterns of children, suggesting that gendered speech may be more culturally constructed than biologically determined. The term 'mansplaining' highlights the perceived gendered dynamic in communication, yet, it's important to recognize that not all communication styles fit neatly into gendered stereotypes.
Understanding the influence of gender in workplace communication can lead to more equitable practices and can help reduce gender stratification. To address these issues, workplaces may strive for communication that is direct and clear while maintaining politeness and diplomacy, a balance that can mitigate the effects of any gendered speech patterns.