Analysis of Male and Female Communication Styles in Leadership

This report delves into the contrasting communication styles of males and females, examining how these differences manifest in both personal and professional environments. It highlights the impact of societal stereotypes and gender roles on communication, focusing on aspects like relationship orientation, decision-making processes, and the use of verbal and nonverbal cues. The report explores how these differences can lead to communication gaps, particularly in the workplace, and emphasizes the importance of understanding these nuances to foster effective communication and leadership. It discusses how communication styles vary depending on personal and professional experiences and the alignment between them. The report includes scholarly references to support its claims and provides a comprehensive analysis of gendered communication dynamics.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
The following paper focuses on the distinctions between the male an female
communication styles. It has been argued by many critics that the communication styles by the
male and female persons are completely different in nature and it impacts heavily on the overall
success of the organizations due to their different communication styles. The communication
styles of both the males and females will definitely differ based on the personal and professional
environments (Reeder, 2005). The alignment of the personal workplace experiences has a
definite connection with the communication styles of males and females. The distinctions
between the male and female communication styles will be discussed in this paper.
Distinction between male and female communication styles
Gender barriers to communication might entice significant problems at the workplaces.
The societal stereotypes, interpersonal differences, as well as the assumed gender roles
contribute to emergence to communication gap. As researched by Devor (2000), there are
assigned roles for men and women in the society which accounts for exacerbation of the gender
divide. In this context, (Fitzsimmons, Callan and Paulsen (2014) mentions that it is not possible
to fit all men and women in labeled categories. Recognization of the common differences as well
as similarities in the first place develops understanding.
The first aspect that needs to be taken in to focus is that of relationship orientation.
Fixmer-Oraiz and Wood (2019), identifies that women are inclined on development of
relationships, whereas the male members are more task oriented. Relationship oriented
communication becomes more exaggerated when any form of conflict arises. Using task oriented
philosophy, of workplace communication since they have the propensity of internalizing conflict,

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disregarding their impact is has on their relationship. Women have a natural tendency of
inclination towards being empathetic instead of analytical deepening of the gender divide.
Style differences at the time of decision making are conceived as a common gender
barrier in terms of communication. While tackling an issue of Workplace dispute, the general
tendency of any female leader would be to take advice from her colleagues. On the contrary in
email leederville perceive this to be a weakness and have the conviction of taking the decision on
his own and not making any form of consultation (Reeder, 2005). In the same way women
referred to make verbal discussion of the issues, where is maintained to make the processes work
internally.
Women make more use of body language for establishing communication. They have a
perception that nonverbal communication is a demonstration of investment in the conversation.
For them, a smile, not direct contact with eyes can be crucial and very important signal. While
men listen to others they generally tend to stay still. When a conversation between different sex
is going on, the absence of nonverbal affirmation from main is perceived by women As given
tourist shown in the conversation or to be a lack of understanding or even effort of negotiation
that can hamper communication between the two.
We should also speak about an equal engagement of the women for success in
workplaces. Men generally tend to provide information, rather than seeking information. Again,
while working in mixed gender groups, women have the tendency of understanding as well as
listening to others opinion. There emphasized on giving equal opportunity to all for contributing
to any conversation (Vial, Napier & Brescoll, 2016). Men considered that they have the

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responsibility of leading any conversation for demonstration of competence. On the contrary,
women take this opportunity and often stay silenced or choose to put out of the conversation.
It has also been seen that the males are very much direct when they communicate
between each other. They do not talk about the thing in an indirect manner; rather they go to the
direct point and talk about the solution (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2019). On the other hand,
females are much indirect and they soften down rather than being direct and to the point.
Similarly, males go on to share the ideas of the better plans and strategies on how improvements
could be done. This kind of information sharing is much more effective because females tend to
share their emotions regarding completing their works. This can be called unprofessional to some
extent as well (Fitzsimmons, Callan & Paulsen, 2014). Males are generally quiet and they focus
on their work when they are within their working hours. On the other hand, females tend to be
more affirmative in communication with others. Males do not ask many questions and they finish
their work quietly. On the contrary, females are much more talkative in every sense.
Difference of communication styles in personal and professional experiences
According to the critics, a great deal of differences has been seen among the
communication styles when the clash occurs between the men and women. These
communication styles have often varied from gender to gender. When the workplace is
dominated by a person of the opposite gender, it will require tremendous hard work to deal with
the communication styles (Fitzsimmons, Callan & Paulsen, 2014). The concerned person should
have a great understanding of the opposite sex. In case of the personal workplace experiences,
this case of the gender differences occur in case of the male instructors and female subordinates.

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Traditionally, men are not soft spoken and they very hardly show any type of remorse or soft
feelings (Fixmer-Oraiz & Wood, 2019).
In sensitive issues, men will still act to be very hard and this might upset the female
subordinates. The women in the professional contexts women tend to be very emotional, soft
spoken and they are very good active listeners. This is why it is quite important to note that
women will find it confusing when taking some hard decisions. Their decision making
perspectives sometimes leave room for confusion. However, it is not the most common case but
it happens sometimes. In case of personal and professional experiences, women react in almost
the similar ways. Though men are sensitive and emotional in the personal settings, they are quite
strict, rude and hard in professional workplaces indeed (Fitzsimmons, Callan & Paulsen, 2014).
Alignment with the personal workplace experiences
It can be perceived from the various research outcomes that the personal workplace
experiences can be aligned in terms of the male communication styles. The communication
styles of the males remain same (Devor, 2000). However, women are looked upon as very
sensitive and they try to be active listeners in both their personal and professional workplace
experiences. One can still say that the women are not that much dominant and strict when they
are given the leadership roles. They will need the help of their male counterparts indeed.
However, women are very good active listeners and they can provide good and helpful opinions
for the success of the organizations. This is why females can be very much helpful but the
communication gap can arise when the leaders and their subordinates are of the opposite genders
(Devor, 2000). The problems can be mitigated by proper meetings. This is how the gender gaps
in terms of the communication styles can be reduced.

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Conclusion
On a concluding note, it can be said that the gender gaps have been seen by experts in
terms of the communication styles. There are several differences between the male and female
communication styles when it comes to the context of leading an organization. Sometimes,
women leaders suffer from confusion when taking strict decisions because of their emotional
involvement. On the contrary, men are very strict when it comes to the professional context and
taking strong decisions. The communication issues between the males and females need to be
sorted out to provide effectiveness in the success of the organizations.

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References and Bibliography
Devor, A. H. (2000). How many sexes? How many genders? When two are not enough.
Retrieved from http://web.uvic.ca/~ahdevor/HowMany/HowMany.html
Fitzsimmons, T. W., Callan, V. J., & Paulsen, N. (2014). Gender disparity in the C-suite: Do
male and female CEOs differ in how they reached the top?. The Leadership
Quarterly, 25(2), 245-266.
Fixmer-Oraiz, N., & Wood, J. T. (2019). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture
(13th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
Reeder, H. M. (2005). Exploring male-female communication: Three lessons on gender. Journal
of school health, 75(3), 115-118.
United States Department of Labor (DOL): Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).
(2013). ERISA advisory council report: Successful plan communications for various
population segments. Retrieved from
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/publications/2013ACreport1.html
Vial, A. C., Napier, J. L., & Brescoll, V. L. (2016). A bed of thorns: Female leaders and the self-
reinforcing cycle of illegitimacy. The Leadership Quarterly, 27(3), 400-414.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2019). Gender and genetics. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html