Conflict Essay, Research Paper

talk about the difference communication style between men and women, sexual discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Firstly, I would mention the difference communication style between men and women. Men and women are using difference kind of language, listening skills and the difference personal network. Then I would talk about the solution for bridging the communication gap.

Secondly, I would show what is sexual discrimination in the workplace and how to prevent this kind of discrimination.

Lastly, the report would mention what is sexual harassment in the workplace, why it is happened and what should you do when you face sexual harassment in the workplace.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 4

GENDER COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE 5

WHY THERE IS GENDER CONFLICT IN THE WORKPLACE? 5

MEN AND WOMEN USE LANGUAGE DIFFERENTLY. 5

MEN AND WOMEN USE DIFFERENCE LISTENING SKILLS. 6

DIFFERENCES MEN AND WOMEN PERSONAL NETWORKS. 8

SOLUTIONS FOR BRIDGING THE COMMUNICATION GAPS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. 8

SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE 10

WHAT IS SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION? 10

HOW TO PREVENT SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE? 10

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE 12

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON THE JOB? 12

IS THERE A LOT OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT? 12

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO ABOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON THE JOB? 12

CONCLUSION 14

BIBLIOGRAPHY 15

APPENDIX 16

INTRODUCTION

The difference in gender is the most significant biological difference within the human species. Yet, most of us know very little about how these differences affect work, intimacy and conflict. Starting at a very young age, these differences begin to shape our play, concepts of relationships, productivity, and in general the way we communicate with one another.

Moreover, there are many sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, especially for women, happen in the workplace. Sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace are illegal. Proper management in situations where sexual harassment and discrimination occur can save the manager and the agency from problems of low morale and productivity as well as from the litigation costs.

In this report, I will focus on difference gender communication, sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace, I hope you can get more acknowledge about these from my report.

GENDER COMMUNICATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Why there is gender conflict in the workplace?

Different communication styles between males and females can create conflict in the work environment. Typically, women are seen as emotional, flighty, and gossipy. Men on the other hand are seen as competitive, goal-oriented, and aggressive. When faced with trying to adapt to these male characteristics, women encounter many different obstacles. One obstacle a success-oriented woman faces is the stereotypes generated by society. Since women are typically not seen as business oriented, any women who are actually business oriented are faced with discrimination. They are called pushy, angry, and accused of sleeping their way to the top. A woman who has to face these types of accusations and stereotypes cannot effectively complete the tasks assigned to her.

Men and women use language differently.

The reason that men and women do not communicate well is that men and women use language differently. Women take the attitude that conversation is to explore solutions to common problems while men concern themselves more with getting information and hard data from conversation. What women look for in communication is human connection, while men consider status to be most important. They are looking for independence and are constantly looking for higher accomplishments. Intimacy threatens this independence, so men have a tendency to avoid it. One of the old sayings about women is that they talk more than men do. It turns out that it is not necessarily true. Women seem to talk more in private conversations than do men. Women do not generally have a fear of intimacy and therefore are much more open with one another during private conversations. It is more difficult for women to use this type of communication style in the public arena. In that case it is men that do most of the talking. Men use communication as a weapon. They use long explanations to command attention from which it is they are speaking to. They use it to convey information and to ultimately gain agreement. Men are continually protecting their status through even simple conversation. The reason that women dominate private conversation is that once men get home they do not feel the need to continue to protect their status so they remain quiet. This causes women to become more vocal. Status affects many different ways in which men communicate and raises several different examples. Men tell more stories and jokes than women do. They are not doing this to be funny but instead do it to again to negotiate status. They often tell stories in which they are the heroes and act alone to overcome obstacles. While women use storytelling to gain support from her personal networks. They use their stories that, if they are the subjects of, contain her doing something foolish to put her at the same level as the listener. In this way women are not concerned with status as with relating and gaining support.

Men and women use difference listening skills.

Men and women also differ when they are listening. While women tend to use eye contact and head nods to let the speaker know that she is listening. Men often do not use these techniques because they suggest agreement with the speaker. Women also a technique which calls cooperative overlap. This happens sometimes when women start to speak before the other person finishers speaking. They usually do this to agree and show support for what the speaker is saying. Women see cooperative overlap as a way to continue the conversation while men see it as a competitive ploy to gain control of that conversation. In this way communication again is not made clear, men are annoyed because they believe that the women are trying to dominate the conversation while women are annoyed because men will frequently try to change the subject. One of the most common examples that most people use when talking about the differences, in which men and women ask questions, is asking for directions. Since men are concerned with status and are willing to protect it men do not have the tendency to stop and ask for directions. Men see this type of action as almost a form of intimacy because it implies that they need help. Women on the other hand do not have the same problem. Women ask questions to establish connections with others and stopping and asking for direction helps them do that. An example is what is generally referred to as “nagging”; men hate to be told to do anything. Women are inclined to repeat a request that does not get a response because they are convinced that men will do the request if they only understand that they really want it done. Men on the other hand do not want to do the request because it seems that they are the ones taking orders, so they put off fulfilling it so it seems that they are doing it out of their own free will. Men and women are doing are sending meta-messages back and forth. These meta-messages are the underlying meaning in what men and women are saying. Once people are able to decipher some of these meta-messages more effective communication is possible.

Differences men and women personal networks.

Another area was the differences in men and women s personal networks. When compared to men, women have more family ties than non-family ties. Men also have family ties but are more likely to include co-workers in their networks. What this suggests is that woman are less able to use networks as resources while men find their networks useful in finding jobs and advancing their careers. In this way, men have more extensive ties than women do. The main reason for these differences are those men and women have different opportunities to form these networks. Men and women interact in different ways socially. Because of differing positions in the workplace, in marital roles, and in parenting, social opportunities are different. Work related factors such as paid employment, educational attainment and income increase the number of ties outside the family. Although it has been found that most of these differences are erased if variables such as employment, family, and age are similar for men and women, it remains true that women have a larger more diversified network of family ties. In the business world, women must face many obstacles to succeed. Women have to adapt to a male-dominated culture to be promoted and rewarded.

Solutions for bridging the communication gaps between men and women.

There are some solutions for bridging the communication gaps between males and females. To reduce miscommunication, males and females must learn to interpret the messages being sent to them. They must learn to understand the speakers’ motives and background. In effective communication, one must realize the experiences of the speaker and listener, and work to create a common understanding of the messages being created. Males should try to understand the female need for connection whereas females need to understand the male need for data. If the two cultures can learn to combine their styles by offering information while creating a connection, the male and female communication gap will be bridged.

SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

What is sexual discrimination?

Sexual discrimination is the discrimination that base on sex. Women are groups who often receive a lot of discrimination. They are fighting for the right to work the same job as a man does. In the workplace it is much harder for women with the same education as men to earn the same position are. Most of the time if a woman gets the job same as the man, she will receive a much lower salary than the man will. Usually, women just can earn about sixty nine percent of men earn when they have same educational qualification. For example, a woman who worked at a computer company for nine years, where she says the discrimination was so bad that it caused her depression, stress, high-blood pressure, and kidney failure…. She alleges her supervisors frequently made remarks such as ‘do you see the color of my white shirt? That’s the color of the work force I want.’.

An employer may hire a woman for a job that she is not capable of because the employer wants a woman to be there. Often times this leads to sexual advances by the employer or co-workers. Women may hear remarks such as “you’re a woman, what do you know?” or “it’s a man’s job”.

How to prevent sexual discrimination in the workplace?

Employers have a responsibility to:

I. Provide a working environment that is free from harassment and discrimination; and

II. Deal effectively, quickly and fairly with any situations involving claims of harassment or discrimination that come to their attention.

Employers could be held liable by a court or tribunal if they or their managers do not act to put an end to discrimination in their workplaces.

There are several questions that are not allowed to be asked of an employee not only surrounding gender. For example questions about or relating to physical characteristics such as color of eyes, hair, height, weight, or requests for photographs. Questions about speaking English or French fluently, unless to do so is a reasonable and bonfire requirement for the position are also strictly prohibited. Questions about or relating to religious affiliation, religious institutions attended, religious holidays, customs observed, willingness to work on a specific day which may conflict with requirements of a particular faith (e.g. Saturday or Sunday Sabbath days) are also against the law.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE

What is Sexual Harassment on the Job?

Sexual harassment on the job can range from blatant physical and verbal aggression to gentle patting and subtle coercion by persons seeking sexual favors. Individuals on any job can be victims of such unwanted sexual attention.

Is there a lot of Sexual Harassment?

Like rape, most sexual harassment goes unreported because the victims are somehow made to feel ashamed of what has happened to them. They are afraid that other people will say “they asked for it” or that no one will believe them or they won t be able to prove it and will be branded as “trouble-makers”. Rather than face embarrassment and retaliation, many victims who are lucky enough to transfer or get a new job elsewhere, quietly leave without saying anything. This leaves the harasser free to victimize others.

What should you do about sexual harassment on the job?

Individuals should not ignore harassment or blame themselves, even though this is a normal reaction. Nor should they think harassment is a joke or an accident since experience shows that the harassment will continue or increase if it is ignored. Instead, a person should respond immediately and directly to the offender to indicate that the behavior or remark is not acceptable. There are four steps that you can do when you are being harassed.

1. Say no to the offender. Make it clear that you do not approve of his or her actions. Any evidence that you went along could lessen your chance of success in a formal complaint procedure.

2. Tell them any repetition will be reported to their boss. When the unacceptable behavior happens again, speak with their boss and or other appropriate employer-employee representatives-such as an equal employment opportunity officer, affirmative action officer, union shop steward or other union officials. Write a follow-up memo to the person with whom you spoke and keep a copy for yourself so you will have a written record of the conversation.

3. If the harassment continues to occur, keep a log with dates and times of the remarks and behavior that you consider offensive. Keep a record or any memo or complaints; if you decide to bring charges, these items will aid in accurate testimony. Whenever possible tries to get other people-both men and women-as witnesses to your harassment. Other persons could be victims as well and can help in taking join action against your harasser.

4. Seek early advice from fair employment enforcement agencies or women’s right agencies. Know your rights so you can best protect them. Learn about the limits imposed by some courts and what actions would be considered unlawful retaliations by your employer and harasser.

CONCLUSION

I conclude my report by stating that a man’s conversational style is due to their competitive outlook on life, while women, due to their worldview, prefer a co-operative conversational style. The distinct conversational styles reflect the different needs the sexes have and show those women have other focal points in their lives than men. One should look upon this as natural and realize that both styles have advantages and disadvantages. The two sexes should be regarded as equal and learn from each other s styles. It would be unrealistic and wrong to try and adjust them to each other.

Moreover, as you have seen sexual discrimination and harassment are two acts that go hand and hand, and unfortunately they are both issues that are dealt with much too often. If all workplaces joined together and made similar policies that are strictly enforced, perhaps our world would be a little more equal, and discrimination would be unheard of.

After reading this report, you must know more about the difference communication between men and women, sexual discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Eunson B. (1997), Dealing With Conflict, Jcaranda Wiley Ltd.: Melbourne.

Griffin, EM (1997), A First Look at Communication Theory, University of California: California.

Kendrigan M. L. (1991), Gender Differences, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.: Westport.

Reskin B. F. (1986), Women s Work, Men s Work, National Academy: Washington.

Russell A. (1982), Career & Conflict, Prentice-Hall, INC.: New Jersey.

Williams, C.L. (1989), Gender Differences At Work, University of California: California.

http://www.uakron.edu/lawrev/robert1.htlml

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/top_stories?1998062650

APPENDIX