How
often do you hear people talking about the difference between men and women in the
work place? The discussion seems to revolve around the glass ceiling and how
most women cannot rise up in the workplace and be accept the same way as their
male coworkers. A lot of this topic stems from the language that women tend to
use in their everyday job activities. Research from both scholarly sources and
popular articles showcase this theory of “woman in a meeting” language.
One
common assumption people may make about women is that they do not speak up or
come off as strong as men do when speaking.
The first scholarly author, Janet Holmes shares that women tend to use “softening devices” when speaking to someone,
specifically in the work place. Smart Business Network validates
Holmes’ idea by stating that these devices includes hedges and questions,
which in turn softens the impact of the woman’s words. The popular website also
gives examples of when women use these softening devices, such as stating “If
you get a chance, will you please draft and send me the meeting notes at your
convenience?” From personal experience, I can admit that I have stated similar
phrases on numerous occasions to keep “peace” between my audience and myself.
However, I do agree with Smart Business Network that this type of statement is
very different than, “Please draft and send me the meeting notes tomorrow.”
In
addition, research shows that not only is it how women say something, but more
specifically what words they are choosing. Priscilla Berry and Tommy J. Franks’ article discusses how
specific words carry various connotations depending on who is the speaker. For
example, when one states he/she is leaving a job. Berry and Franks discuss that
a woman leaving a job can translate to the woman not being able to cope within
the job. Yet, a man leaving a job may not face the same conclusion.
Cosmopolitan’s
author, Tess Koman, supports this thought by sharing a
video created by an advertising company. This video shows men reading their
female coworkers thoughts that they have throughout the workday.The picture to the right shares the
exact quote from the pregnant coworker and how she felt when she told her boss
she was having a baby. This comment reveals how a woman’s boss automatically
assumed she would not return to work or by leaving, she was ruining her career.
However would the boss’ comment have been the same if it were a male taking
some time off of work for family? In most cases, probably not. In fact, the
male worker may have even heard a “congratulations!”
The above research
points to the overall conclusion that the way women speak and their word choice
makes a complete impact on their positions in the work force. While some may
say there is no such thing as women not receiving the same respect as men,
research proves that there is a distinction between male and female workers’
speech. Throughout both the popular and scholarly sources, there are several
real life examples of “women in a meeting” language in which many, including
myself, can relate to.
