Gender

Numerous studies have shown that gender differences, discrimination and disparity are three of the most common issues in the workplace. It has become important to address this issue because of the heightened awareness of gender equality and such things. In our society, there are expected behaviours of males and females which make them normal and acceptable. While women prefer coaction and working together in an organised fashion and are said to have a longer attention span, men prefer to work alone in short bursts of energy.

Companies now hire a greater number of women in the workplace, since educational and work opportunities for them have increased significantly, giving them a chance to utilize their skills and play on their strengths. A large number of women now also make it onto managerial positions, educational, political, governmental and local school or district boards, and many more have been able to negotiate fairer wages and employment practices at work.

Did you know the following facts about gender differences at work?

Women

Women tend to be more co-operative than men since most men tend to view the world in terms of hierarchies, placing respect and value on following instructions and orders. Meantime, women are more comfortable working with each other and see relationships based on concentric circles in an attempt to ensure everyone is treated fairly, everyone has a seat at the table and that all their opinions can be heard. In terms of memory, due to a larger hippocampus, women tend to have better memory and are also more likely to see how things fit into the larger picture - things such as faces, names, objects and people.

Men

Men are also more likely to win promotions, more challenging assignments and more access to the top leaders than women do. They feel confident en route to an executive role whilst women perceive a steeper trek to the top. Not only that, but men tend to feel more strongly when merited at work. The method in which men work tends to be singularly focused, as compared to the multitasking capabilities that women have. Men are also better at pursuing abstract and task-oriented jobs.

How do gender differences affect the workplace?

At the workplace, gender differences highlight the inherent biological natures of men and women. Whilst the former is likely to work on the basis of conveying information and sharing knowledge in order to get the job done, the latter is likely to discuss information in detail before coming up with a possible solution. When the two genders work together, they should attempt to accommodate each other while being aware of each other's tendencies. To illustrate, a woman who is presiding a meeting knows that men tend to lose focus easily, and so  might want to make her point in a concise manner to avoid going off tangents. A man in the company understands that women need to take their time to consider different decisions, and waits for her to do so instead of forcing them to do so immediately.