Comparing the Managerial Styles of Males and Females

Comparing the Managerial Styles of Males and Females

Nearly half of the U.S. workforce is now made up of women, and women

are a growing percentage of the workforce in most countries throughout

the world (Robbins, 2005:18). It is common to find a

woman supervising or managing a group of men. This paper will

discuss the difference, if exists, between the managerial styles of

males and females. First, we will shed some light on the basic

differences in personality traits and competencies between men and

women, and then will analyze the different cultural perceptions of a

working man and woman, after that, we will discuss the interaction

effect of gender of supervisor and gender of subordinate on perceived

mentoring, and finally will discuss the selection differences in

recruiting men and women for a managerial position.

Differences in personality between men and women:

Intellectual Ability

There is an interesting pattern of gender differences on the various

cognitive measures. Women performed better than men on most of the

memory tests, while men performed better than women on most of the

executive function tests. The gender difference on memory is in line

with many published studies, but the gender difference on executive

function measures has received relatively little attention to date.

Socially, women are encouraged to be good mothers while men are

encouraged to work and protect family and to make money. Commonly held

views regarding men and women continue to suggest that women are more

committed to family than to work and that men are more committed to

work than to family (Cook, 1994: P85-95). Further, employers are

likely to view family responsibilities as a sign of limited work

commitment...

... middle of paper ...

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