GENDER DIFFERENCE IN ORGANIZATION

Gender: Gender is a range of characteristics of femininity, masculinity and others described as third
gender. Depending on the context, the describing characteristics vary from sex to social roles (gender roles) to gender identity. The academic interdisciplinary field gender studies focuses on gender. Sexologist John Money introduced the terminological distinction between biological sex and gender as a role in 1955. Before his work, it was uncommon to use the word "gender" to refer to anything but grammatical categories. However, Money's meaning of the word did not become widespread until the 1970s, when feminist theory embraced the distinction between biological sex and the social construct of gender. Today, the distinction is strictly followed in some contexts, like medicine, social sciences, feminist literature, documents written by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and in some dictionaries, but in many contexts, even in some areas of social sciences, the meaning of gender has expanded to include "sex" or even to replace the latter word. Although this gradual change in the meaning of gender can be traced to the 1980s, a small acceleration of the process in the scientific literature was observed when the Food and Drug Administration started to use "gender" instead of "sex" in 1993."Gender" is now commonly used even to refer to the physiology of non-human animals, without any implication of social gender roles. In the English literature, the tracheotomy between biological sex, psychological gender, and social sex role first appeared in a feminist paper on transsexuals in 1978. Some cultures have specific gender-related social roles that can be considered distinct from male and female, such as the hijra of India and Pakistan. While the social sciences sometimes approach gender as a social construct, and gender studies particularly do, research in the natural sciences investigates whether biological differences in males and females influence the development of gender in humans; both inform debate about how far biological differences influence gender identity formation.

FEMININITY AND MASCULINITY

English
The use of gender to refer to masculinity and femininity as types is attested throughout the history of Modern English (from about the 14th century).
The American Heritage Dictionary (2000)

The effectiveness of the medication appears to depend on the sex (not gender) of the patient. In peasant societies, gender (not sex) roles are likely to be more clearly defined.

A recent Publication by the Australian Human Rights Commission on "sexual orientation and gender identity
Among the reasons that working scientists have given me for choosing gender rather than sex in biological contexts are desires to signal sympathy with feminist goals, to use a more academic term, or to avoid the connotation of copulation David Haig, The Inexorable Rise of Gender and the Decline of Sex.

Urdu
Urdu recognizes hijra as a third gender in India and Pakistan since the mid to late 2000s.

Greek
Greek distinguishes biological from sociological in adjectives.

German and Dutch

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German <Geschlecht> and Dutch <geslacht> make no distinction in nouns.

Swedish
Swedish makes clear distinction in nouns Genus Kon

French
French has no distinction in noun: "sexe", but the distinction is supplied by the neologistic coinage "genre".

GENDER DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE WORKPLACE

Gender differences in the workplace typically stem from social factors, which influence the behaviors of men and women. Some organizations welcome gender diversity and encourage the inclusion of both sexes when making company decisions and offering promotional opportunities. Other organizations discourage gender inclusion and promote bias in the workplace. With most companies, gender differences add value and varying perspectives to an organization.

DESCRIPTION
Gender differences involve both physical and emotional factors. They are essentially the characteristics that influence male and female behavior in the workplace. These influences may stem from psychological factors, such as upbringing, or physical factors, such as an employee's capability to perform job duties. Differences may also stem from gender stereotypes related to men and women. For instance, a stereotypical assessment is that women belong in the home while men work and provide support. Stereotypes often lead to sex discrimination in the workplace.

GENDER PERCEPTION
Men and women experience differences in perception in the workplace. According to the book, "Managing in the Age of Change: Essential Skills to Manage Today's Workforce," by Sophie Hahn and Anne Litwin, an employee's gender can illustrate differences in perception related to organizational structure, problem-solving style and view of work-related conflict. Also, differences in individual working style are notable. According to the book, women perceive that individual work styles should be collaborative, where everyone works as part of a whole. Men, on the other hand, perceive that work should be completed independently without the assistance of others. Women also tend to be more supportive managers, whereas men are more direct.

LEGAL ISSUES
Many legal issues stem from men and women being treated differently or unfairly in the workplace. Several employment and labor laws govern sex discrimination and prohibit workplace practices that treat a particular sex unfavorably because of gender. For example, the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination, such as hiring, firing or refusing to promote an employee because of sex or gender. Employers must also provide special accommodations for gender-related issues, such as pregnancy and nursing. Other laws such as the Equal Pay Act ensures men and women receive the equal pay for performing the same job in the same company.

SOLUTIONS
Misunderstandings between genders often cause conflict within the workplace. Men and women perceive information differently, which could lead to feelings of exclusion or allegations of harassment or sex discrimination. Managers can combat this problem through training and development initiatives that focus on increased awareness of gender-related issues. Managers can also encourage change in employee behavior to strengthen the working relationship between men and women.

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CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE WORKPLACE

Workplace diversity trainers often mention that there are more similarities among employees than there are differences; however, despite the many common attributes employees share, there still exist cultural differences. Culture is defined as a set of values, practices, traditions or beliefs a group shares, whether due to age, race or ethnicity, religion or gender. Other factors that contribute to workplace diversity and cultural differences in the workplace are differences attributable to work styles, education or disability.

GENERATIONS
There are cultural differences attributable to employees' generations. A diverse workplace includes employees considered traditionalists, baby boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Millennials. Each generation has distinct characteristics. For example, employees considered baby boomers tend to link their personal identity to their profession or the kind of work they do. Baby boomers are also characterized as being committed, yet unafraid of changing employers when there's an opportunity for career growth and advancement. Employees considered belonging to Generation Y, on the other hand, also value professional development, but they are tech-savvy, accustomed to diversity and value flexibility in working conditions.

EDUCATION
Differences exist between employees who equate academic credentials with success and employees whose vocational and on-the-job training enabled their career progression. The cultural differences between these two groups may be a source of conflict in some workplace issues when there's disagreement about theory versus practice in achieving organizational goals. For instance, an employee who believes that a college degree prepared him for managing the processes and techniques of employees in the skilled trades may not be as effective as he thinks when compared to employees with years of practical knowledge and experience.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Where an employee lives or has lived can contribute to cultural differences in the workplace. Many people would agree that there is a distinct difference between the employee from a small town and the employee from a large metropolis. New York, for example, is known for its fast pace and the hectic speed of business transactions. Conversely, an employee from a small, Southern town may not approach her job duties with the same haste as someone who is employed by the same company from a large city where there's a sense of urgency attached to every job task.

ETHNICITY
Ethnicity or national origin are often examples of cultural differences in the workplace, particularly where communication, language barriers or the manner in which business is conducted are obviously different. Affinity groups have gained popularity in large organizations or professional associations, such as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce or in-house groups whose members are underrepresented ethnicities, such as the Chinese Culture Network at Eli Lilly. The pharmaceutical conglomerate organizes affinity groups to bridge cultural differences and establish productive working relationships within the workplace and throughout its global locations. In his article "Winning with Diversity," author Jason Forsythe explains that Eli Lilly's many affinity groups are necessary: "Because the company currently markets products in 156 countries and has affiliates in many of them, multicultural competency is a priority."

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