RUNNING HEAD: WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 1

Title: Working Behaviour of Men and Women

FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

(A Chartered University)

Aitizaz Ahsan 21-10535

Hamza Naeem 21-10382

Forman Christian College

Submitted to: S.T Zahra

Date: June 4th, 2019

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 2

Contents
1

)Abstract....................................................................................................................................................4
2)Keywords...............................................................................................................................................4
3) Introduction……………………………..............................................................................................................5
4)Literature Review...................................................................................................................................6
5) Methodology used.................................................................................................................................7
5.1) Primary Research..........................................................................................................................7
5.1.1) Secondary Research....................................................................................................................8
6) History..................................................................................................................................................8
6.1) Industrialization Revolution...........................................................................................................8
6.1.1) Culture........................................................................................................................................8
7) Traits of both genders at workplace....................................................................................................10
7.1) Traits of men at workplace..........................................................................................................10
7.1.1) Traits of women at workplace...................................................................................................10
7.1.1.1) Comparison of both the genders at workplace (Men vs Women)...........................................11
Women known to be team players:..................................................................................................11
Men are best at negotiating..............................................................................................................11
Women are more accepting towards challenges:.............................................................................11
Men tend to be more confident:.......................................................................................................12
7.1.1.1.1) Accommodating differences................................................................................................12
8) Impact of your colleague’s gender on your performance....................................................................12
8.1) Women in men dominating work environment.............................................................................12
Struggle for equal pay:....................................................................................................................14
Men are more likely to be promoted:...............................................................................................15
Stereotypes attached with women tend to make them under perform at work:................................16
Sexual harassment:..........................................................................................................................17
8.1.1) Men in Female Dominated Environment..................................................................................18
8.1.1.1) Women in Women dominated Environment............................................................................19
8.1.1.1.1) Working behaviour of both the gender in Mixed environment............................................19
9) Primary research.................................................................................................................................21

10) Conclusion........................................................................................................................................28
11) Indications:........................................................................................................................................29
12) References.........................................................................................................................................30
13)Annex.................................................................................................................................................31
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 3

1) Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to identify the working behaviour and pattern of both the gender at

the workplace. It is written to identify how and to what extent gender of your colleagues can affect your

working behaviour, to summarize it will be addressing all the external environmental factors that have

the power to affect an individual’s working performance and behaviour at the workplace. We tried to

analyse the behaviour and causes behind it by the micro and macro view, whereas more emphasis was

put on a macro level. The methodology used for this research paper was; Secondary and Primary

research. Articles, Books published upon gender and workplaces and previous research such as

interviews and surveys were a source of data available for secondary research. In-depth interviews and

questionnaires were used to collect primary data. Findings of this research are that the gender of your

colleagues does affect your work performance, as it combined with other factors, builds up your macro

environment of the workplace. More than your colleague’s gender, your own gender is also responsible

for the treatment you receive at the workplace. This research paper analyses and asses causes and

reasons behind working behaviour, working preferences and working environment in the context of an

individual’s gender.

2) Keywords

Work behaviour, Productivity, Efficiency, Gender based discrimination, Mixed Gender workplaces,

Motivation
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 4

3) Introduction

Our behaviour is directly dependent upon many external and internal factors such as how much

respected we feel at workplace or how motivated we are to work. One of the important external factors

could also be gender of our colleagues. Around the world topic of discussion has been discrimination

based upon gender at the work, especially for us as we live in a society where we already have limited

interaction with opposite gender. In such countries where interaction between opposite gender has been

confided since a long period of time, issues such as lack of confidence arises at mixed gender

workplaces. Since ages we have been hearing that there is a substantial difference in treatment between

two genders at workplace, even many movements were started to reduce this difference of treatment.

However, questions that arises and one should ponder upon are what kind of difference is there and if

there is then why does it exists, is it genuinely due to the reason that one gender is better while

performing tasks than the other one or are they naturally more talented and intelligent? It could also be

due to long history or primary and secondary socialization both genders have received. Before we dive

into the depth of this topic, it is important to study what kind of difference is there in working behaviour

of men and women in working environment and why they exist. It is also important to understand

history and background to analyse current behaviour.

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4) Literature Review

Does your working behaviour change due to the gender of person you are working with? Does gender of

your colleague has an impact in your working performance? Gender of your colleague makes up your

external working environment. As psychology suggests your external environment plays equal role or

maybe somewhat more prominent role in your behaviour.

Many researches are done previously to analyse different aspects of external environment on an

individual working capability and productivity. Thus, emphasizing the fact that it is a worldwide

discussed and researched topic. Many interviews were conducted to support different stances.

According to research done previously your gender has an impact on the kind of treatment you receive

at your workplace (Ross, 2008). Tesfaye (2011) research talked about job performance and job

satisfaction. This study revealed about the despite many advances & improvement gender

discriminations persists at workplaces, and it continues to be experienced by working women in the

professional workspace

Sikdar (2008) reviews about leadership roles that are biased towards one gender while neglecting other

one. Shikha&Yuvika (2014) stated that there is a variation between traits of male leaders and female

leaders.

Our research aimed to study discrimination, working performance and preference of both genders in

term of working environment they require to analyse previous studies and try to connect them with

Pakistani culture.

5) Methodology used

5.1) Primary Research

 Interviews
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 6

 Questionnaire

5.2) Secondary Research

 Journal

 Articles

 Surveys

 Books

6) History

To study the behaviour difference and overall working behaviour of men and women at workplace, we

should know industrial history and psychology of both the genders which is shaped by the culture.

6.1) Industrialization Revolution

Industrialization took place in 18th to 19th century. Previously Europe and America consisted of rural

societies, but dynamics of both the societies changed when industries came into the picture. Before men

and women use to do equal labour at fields, and everything was home-grown hence both the gender

shared equal tasks and burden. When industries were made, labour was required to run it thus men of

house decided to work at factories as they are naturally more physically strong. This shift resulted in

industrial area being dominated by men. Then came post industrialization era when tertiary industry was

new, and people were moving towards it. Then women also decided to join service industry as it did not

require man-power work. However, dynamics of society were still in-equal and they still are to this date,

industry is still dominated by men due to various reasons.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 7

6.1.1) Culture

Now moving towards psychological and cultural reasons. In context of Pakistan, previously the

interaction between opposite genders was less, schooling system followed different criteria and less

emphasis was placed upon women pursuing career. Moreover, women were encouraged to learn

weaving, stitching, these kind of skills. However now trends have been changing, schools are placing

emphasis on career development of girls also, co-education has been introduced due to which students

belonging to both genders are learning to work together as a team to reach common goals.

Discrimination between both the genders; male and female have reduced. However, the change would

be slow; there is still difference in treatment of both the genders which does reflect their personality and

working behaviour at workplace also.

The graph indicates surge in women employees with past years. Now many women are moving towards

corporate jobs and hopefully in future trends seem to shift.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 8

7) Traits of both genders at workplace

According to previous studies there is a concrete pattern of how both genders react and work in working

environment. By analysing traits of both genders individually we will be able to understand the reasons

behind change in their behaviour when they are put in various settings more clearly.

7.1) Traits of men at workplace

Men at workplace are more task-oriented and focused. They work upon gaining information and

conveying it ahead more clearly and precisely instead of complicating it with unnecessary information.

There, this specific approach is also applied when they are handed a task, instead of ranting about their

feelings to their colleagues, they are more likely to focus upon task and try to figure out ways to make it

successful. In leadership roles, they try to use logic and rationality more rather than making emotional

decision. Men prefer to use reasons and their brain more while making a decision instead of leading on

by their emotions. Men are more likely than women to engage in unethical behaviour in the workplace

(Forum on Public Policy,2009). The notion that men have competitive nature and desire to workout

solutions supports the prior statement, it is stated that men are more likely to adopt unethical behaviour

to meet their targets and deadlines.

7.1.1) Traits of women at workplace

Similar researches were conducted to analyse and conclude working traits and behaviour of women in

working environment. Women are more likely to multi-task, than men and therefore, more likely to

roam off-topic during a meeting (Leadership and the Sexes,2008). Through this statement we can

comprehend that women are not as much focused upon task as men, their attention keeps on luring even

in between important task such as meeting. However, it is also analysed that women are better at reading

face expressions and feelings than men. Whereas men will hesitate to make an eye contact during

meetings and will be more inclined towards taking notes, women will maintain an eye contact and

would portray their participative nature to display their dedication in the task and overall work.

Moreover, they try to analyse and evaluate problem before jumping in towards giving solution, their

approach would be more centred towards collecting as much information as they can before providing
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 9

relevant solution. Furthermore, women are perceived to be less rational and more intuitive than men,

their focus on strategy would be less, whereas on their own intuitions; more while making decisions.

Other prominent difference might include, giving orders: Both the genders possess very different

speaking style, whereas men tend to sound more direct and bossy women are more soft-spoken. Women

will include words such as “Please”, “Thank you”, “You may” into their speech to make it sound more

harmonious. This difference in personality might conflict at workplace if not handled in a right manner.

7.1.1.1) Comparison of both the genders at workplace (Men vs Women)

Women known to be team players:

A study conducted by Catalyst revealed that women are more likely to be a team worker, they were

observed to be more receptive. Moreover, they were labelled as more fit and deem in leadership role.

Another study conducted by Caliper revealed women are more compassionate towards their team. Many

business analysts hold an opinion that now dynamics of corporate world are changing, and team players

are required rather than “winners”. Along with all this women are perceived to be more persuasive

therefore making them ideal for selling jobs. In a test conducted women scored more than men in these

qualities.

Men are best at negotiating:

A study taken place in 2003 focused upon graduating students revealed that men were more likely to

negotiate their salaries 7.6% higher than women entering same workforce. Moreover, it is also observed

that men more willingly and openly ask for pay appraisal as compare to women.
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 10

Women are more accepting towards challenges:

Contrary to common belief, women are more open and accepting towards challenges as constantly being

underestimated at work. 70% of women in the workplace prefer to be challenged more, while less than

half men were willing to accept same challenges, revealed by study took place in 2009 conducted by

Accenture. Hence there is workload increase on them too due to which they go on overtime also

portraying more dedication.

Men tend to be more confident:

As compare to women, their male counterparts seem to be more confident. Whereas women might

underestimate themselves despite of being prepared. Due to this confidence, men tend to stay ahead at

work thus are more likely to be promoted.

7.1.1.1.1) Accommodating differences

In an ideal situation it would be preferred if both the genders understand the working pattern of their

counterpart and try to incorporate it into a strategy to maximize productivity for the organization, for

example women can try to be as concise as she can be during meetings if she is aware of the fact that all

men lose focus easily, in this manner more productivity could be achieved from workforce and less time

would be wasted. Whereas men can try to explain problems in a more detail if he will know women

require knowing details before suggesting a solution.

Unfortunately, real world is not very ideal, and people do not work in sync with others. Certainly,

different factors come to play a role for this difference in ideal and real world, we will analyse those

factors ahead in this paper. Since we have established traits of each gender in a working environment,

now we can proceed to study how these genders react and work under similar working environment.
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 11

8) Impact of your colleague’s gender on your performance

8.1) Women in men dominating work environment

This is the most common working scenario as most industries are still male dominated. According to

studies, In UK 2% women are in manual labour, 11% in construction industry, 15% in STEM (Science,

Tech, Engineering, Math) hence every industry is male dominated. Male-dominated industries and

occupations are particularly vulnerable to reinforcing masculine stereotypes that make it even more

difficult for women to excel (Catalyst, 2018). Research suggests that women in male dominated groups

might prosper less.

There is tremendous amount of research done on this topic, about the working behaviour of both the

genders in a mixed working environment. We have gathered secondary and primary research (Through

Questionnaires) to draw a reliable conclusion regarding the topic. Below are the few interviews in which

women are describing and talking about their experience in mixed environment setting of the workplace.

Caitilin who works as a pilot works in a male dominated environment where there are only 5 female

pilots available and currently employed. She talks about added pressure that is always upon her

shoulders to prove herself and work better. She further pointed out that similar pressure is not on men as
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 12

they are never perceived to be unskilled or less experienced due to their gender. According to her people

have a perception that women cannot perform better than men as a pilot and this thought always makes

her nervous while on duty and she feels that she is in constant battle to prove herself at work.

Olivia who works as advertising and sales agent tells how people around her presume that she would be

unaware and less updated about her work due to her gender. However, she still stands confident and

does not let negative energies get to her. She says she likes to work in given environment more as she

feels challenged and for her it’s a way to prove her. “Sometimes, negative energies and criticism

encourages you to outperform and prove your credibility” says Olivia, the sales and advertising agent at

Sports Company.

Kristen who works in a music industry expressed that how she always has to justify her position in front

of her male clients to make them realize that she is well suited for this role. In her interview she told that

she is often questioned about her position as a leader in a subtle manner by her male as well as female

clients and has been addressed informally by others. According to her this is demotivating towards her

and her other female colleagues and it might affect her work in some or other way.

Jenny working at Power tools marketing described her experience as frustrating which clearly reflected

upon her work due to constantly proving her abilities in front of others. She has informed the

interviewers that she has been questioned a lot of times about her credibility and will she be able to

complete the task solely. As per her point of view the frustration makes her underperform at work some

times.

Arnold who works in finance world states that she has learned and benefited a lot from her male

colleagues thus she likes to work in male dominated environment as she thinks you tend to learn a lot in

such setting, things which your own gender setting might not be able to teach you.

So far it has been established that mostly women underperform at work due to the outside environment.
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 13

However, it is important to analyse about the environment so it is easier to understand their behaviour.

Women face many challenges at work which might be the reason behind their demotivation and

frustration.

Struggle for equal pay:

It has been researched and said that men tend to get paid higher than women. According to Taylor’s

theory in business, money is the main motivating factor behind a productive workforce. Hence analysis

could be made that where women are underperforming at work place and where men dominantly is in

larger population, this could be a reason behind it. There is also quantitative data to support the claim

such as women earn 76 cents on the dollar compared to men, which means if a male counterpart earns

$1 for every task he does, his female subordinate will receive 76 cents despite of equal credibility.

However Equal Pay Act (EPA) prohibits gender based pay discrimination amongst both the genders

working under same working condition, despite of that, the pay discrimination continues.

The graph below indicated difference in pay of men and women.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 14

Men are more likely to be promoted: Although men and women put equal amount of efforts into their

Work, many women felt that their chances of promotion are significantly low as compare to their male

counterparts. Thus this discrimination results in low motivation as women see no reward for their hard

work. A survey conducted revealed that percentage of women promoted at entry level was 44% whereas

men were 56%. Percentage of promotion at managerial level was 41% amongst women and 59% for

men. Senior managerial level had difference of approximately 40%, where women managed to cover

30% and men were at 70%. Many women leaders have expressed that it took them substantial time and

a lot of courage to deal with power play and reach the position they are currently at. Hence it is safe to

say that women do face problem of power play while working with men.
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 15

Stereotypes attached with women tend to make them under perform at work:

Due to certain stereotypes and requirements attached with women and workplace they might under-

perform at work. Such as they are asked to act as “Men” to make them look like a leader. Many

interviewees complained that they were required to act, dress and speak in a certain manner to impose

their authority over their male subordinates and employees. Many of them adopted their manners from

their male colleagues either to blend in to the group or to display their authority over them. "In the early

'80s, women were encouraged to learn the language of football so they could communicate as leaders,

even if they did not care a thing about the sport" (Helgesen). However now trends have been changing

men are not perceived as ideals and many women are accepting their own personalities and going

forward with it. Since constantly being imposed on you that you are required to act as your men

counterpart, might create the feeling of jealousy and resentment in you and demotivate you to give your

best at work.

Sexual harassment:

Demotivation could be due to the reason that you do not feel secure at your workplace hence you might

not want to go at work. It can affect your level of productivity at work and you not being able to perform

your best.

There are other reasons also due to which women might feel demotivated in a gender dominated

environment of workplace and might not be able to perform well such as

 Pregnancy discrimination

 Race and ethnicity

 Female personal health issues

 Segregation issues/ lack if “pardah” for females from specific religious or cultural background

8.1.1) Men in Female Dominated Environment

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 16

Since we have studied that women face many issues at work places dominated by men, now we will

analyse working behaviour of men in women dominated workplaces and occupations. Men working in

non-traditional occupations have been found to benefit from their token status through the assumption of

enhanced leadership and other skills and by being associated with a more careerist attitude to work

(Heikes, 1992; Floge and Merril, 1989). There are certain stereotypes attached with men such as they are

perceived to be good leaders and spoke-person hence are recruited more easily and quickly. Male nurses

often ascend the hierarchy more quickly than female counterparts (Bradley, 1993).

Why men choose female centred environment rather than mixed gender or male dominated ones? Do

they feel they perform better in such setting? According to secondary research there are two categories

classified, “finders” and “settlers”. Finders are the ones who find such jobs with dedication because it

gives them relief whereas settlers refer to the ones who tried to find more “masculine” job but were

unable to find one, hence they settled for these occupations. Many of settlers became finders when they

realized this environment works best for them, they continued to work in women dominated settings

because they felt their level of productivity and efficiency has increased. Many men recognized that

their minority status as men gave them career advantages (the career effect). These advantages were

particularly evident in teaching and nursing where men felt welcomed into the profession. In teaching,

selection boards were perceived to look favourably on male applicants on the grounds that they were

needed to provide a role model for the male pupils. Similarly, many nurses believed that men were

moved rapidly up the hierarchy into management and some admitted they had been 'fast tracked' in this

way. However these stereotypes can become toxic at times as not every male confides to society’s

created norms and would not be comfortable in labels being attached with his gender. It could be

analysed that gender you’re working with does has impact on your work performance maybe that is the

reason we look for our environment before settling for some job.

8.1.1.1) Women in Women dominated Environment.

Research team which was led by Nilanjna Dasgupta at the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds

that women participate more freely and feel less anxious when they are working with team that are lead
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 17

by women and consists of more women in numbers than men. Study was based upon 120 undergraduate

students who are studying engineering. She further suggested that if we would have micro environment

teams lead by women and consisting of women even at men dominated workplace it will help to reduce

work stress and anxiety caused by working environment for women which will further help to improve

productivity. Another experiment was done where two teams were made, one with mixed gender setting

and another with all female one. Although anxiety issue faced by women was reduced in both the teams

but mixed gender team lacked confidence in women for speaking up, hence it could be concluded that

women tend to get more confident in women dominated environment.

According to research over 48 percent of women prefer working in female dominated workplace as they

stated according to them it increases their productivity and efficiency level at work. They would feel

happier and safer with same gender around as compare to the opposite one. Furthermore it was also

expressed that they felt they were more appreciated and respected when working for women dominated

organizations. However 18 percent of women stated otherwise pointing out about dirty politics and

gossips that are higher in women centred organizations as compared to the mixed gender ones.

According to them such organizations are less focused and possess unprofessional along unhealthier

work environment due to which they do not opt for such organizations.

They further stated that women dominated workplace demotivates them and does not helps them to

show their right potential whereas male dominated or mixed gender workplaces motivate you to perform

best as the competition is high there and workforce displays concern to work harder than before.

8.1.1.1.1) Working behavior of both the gender in mixed environment

Many people are now moving towards mixed gender work setting, according to our survey it indicates

majority of people preferred mixed gender work environment at their workplace. What are benefits of

having mixed environment?

It is been assessed that organizations with mixed gender environment tend to have low labour turnover

rate. High labour turnover rate is one challenge organizations face day to day, however it has been
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 18

observed firms having mixed gender working environment tend to have 22 percent low staff turnover.

Greater satisfaction and performance will lead to greater turnovers which will benefit both, company

and employees with increment in their salaries to further motivate them. Gender-diverse business units

in the retail company have 14% higher average comparable revenue than less-diverse business units

(5.24% vs. 4.58%).

It increases engagement and performances. Both the genders tend to interact with one another thus

exchanging of ideas which can improve productivity of both. It also builds confidence of an individual

and can also help in learning different skills

Statistical graph to indicate most preferred profession according to both genders.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 19

The following graph indicates strength requirement for each occupation dominated with men and

women on the axis of ability level.

9) Primary research

For primary research questionnaires were circulated amongst sample population. Purpose of conducting

our own research was to find out the difference between working behaviour of both the genders and

causes behind that difference, lastly to suggest solutions for the productive change. Prior secondary

research reflected the worldwide view whereas our primary research was confined to Pakistan and

Pakistani culture. Sample population for this questionnaire consisted of 80 employees working in

different organizations and 4 employees were interviewed from different organizations and their

answers were recorded. Interviewees included Advocate Murtaza Naqvi who works in a law firm, Miss

Aimen Tarrar who works as a shoe designer and has worked with different organization, now running
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 20

her own privately-owned business, Miss Maryam who works as Sales person in Milani (Make up Brand)

and Mr Raheel Khan who is currently working with Warid Mobile Network Company. These

interviewees were selected very carefully to represent different fields and get insight of various fields

and their work culture.

For questionnaire 45 percent of sample population were male whereas female consisted of 55 percent.
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 21

Question: Have you ever been subjected to any sort of discrimination at your work place?

72 percent of the sample population says that they have never faced any discrimination at the workplace

whereas only 28 percent says that they have been subjected to some sort of discrimination at their

workplace. These figures are somewhat contrary to previous secondary data we collected from the

internet, which stated that women are more likely to be discriminated at the workplace. Why our

primary research data shows different results? Maybe it is due to the fact that this research only

concentrated Pakistan and was specific towards one demographic region. Another reason could be

maybe culture of Pakistan is more supportive and friendlier as compare to other parts of the world or

due to constrained culture we do not realize when we are discriminated.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 22

Moreover, 72 percent of population preferred working in mixed environment rather than same gender

working environment or one sex dominated environment. When asked reason behind it they had

different reasons. However, majority felt that working environment with mixed gender becomes fun and

motivating. Few stated that it boosts their confidence and it is a way forward. While 27 percent of

sample population stated that they prefer in working with same gender and most common reason was

that either they observe “purdah”, or they fear sexual harassment at work.

We also had in depth interview with few people from different industries where open-ended

questionnaire was distributed. Advocate Murtaza Naqvi told us that he has never been subjected towards

any sort of discrimination at work but then he also added that law is men dominated profession in

Pakistan perhaps I should question any woman about it. However, he added that according to his

opinion he does feel that women might be subjected towards discrimination in this profession. Our next

question from him was to describe behaviour of both the genders at work, since he owns his own law

firm and does employ different lawyers he might be able to give us resourceful information. His views

were men are more hard working and possess serious attitude towards work as compare to women. He
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 23

added many interns come to his office for internship and many times women forget to bring resourceful

material to the office which is a display of non-serious behaviour, he further added it could be also

because many of them are not committed enough with law and might not pursue it in future due to

various reason, no threat of financial security being one. Women are not considered bread winner in our

society because of this reason they might not be dedicated enough to work in men dominated profession,

which law is. When asked if he prefers working in mixed gender environment or similar

gender/dominated by one gender, his answer was that he definitely prefers mixed gender environment as

it is more fun and less boring. He also said law use to be men dominated but he feels trends will change

in future, many women are coming towards it, even he has handful of female interns working at his firm.

Next our interviewee was Mr Raheel Khan who works at Warid as an employee. We asked him has he

ever felt any discrimination in his office due to his gender on which he answered he has not. Our next

question from him was that does he feel men perform better than women at his workplace; he informed

us that according to his views it is not true. He exclaimed we are not in stone age anymore and trends

are changing now, men and women both are competitive now and mostly it is person’s own personal

skills which make him perform better rather than gender. Next question was does he feels men change

their behaviour at work when women are being around or does their working behaviour remain constant.

Mr Raheel answered that it is true that men do try to come off as more respectful when dealing with

women due to many reasons such as people nowadays must be cautious especially at work when dealing

with opposite gender so that they do not get offensive or seem as if crossing their limits. We also asked

him does he prefer working in mixed gender environment or the other way around. His answer was

mixed environment as he does not see other being an option even to consider.

We also interviewed two women from two different industries. Miss Aimen Tarrar working as shoe

designer begins describing her experience as being one. She told us that in prior days she use to visit raw

material markets herself to buy raw material such as leather while being a student at PIFD and when she

had to start her own work. Thus, she has fair amount of dealing with men and going to markets
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 24

dominated with men. When asked did she face any discrimination, her answer was she does not think

she faced it but then she is unable to recall. She says there is little discrimination in almost every

industry; you just must ignore it at times to move forward. She further added that when she use to go to

raw material market to collect leather, she use to get a lot of stares, but she feels it is more due to the fact

that women are not much seen in these industries/markets more and when they see one, they are just

fascinated. We also asked her does she feels there is any difference in working behavior when she is

dealing with men and women. She stated that there is a lot of competition in industry and she has had

not have pleasant experience while working with women. She shared that she feels there is a lot of

unhealthy competition which makes working environment demotivating. She added she would prefer

working with mixed environment as compare to one gender dominated environment as both have got

their drawbacks, men dominated would result in anxiety and might also include harassment of some sort

whereas women dominated will mean a lot of gossips.

Ms. Maryam Khalid works at Milani (Makeup Brand) as a sale represented. She says it is true that

women do face some type of discrimination due to their gender. She narrated her own experience where

she told us she was considered not fit for few tasks such as finance related due to perception that a

woman would not be able to handle it well and deal with men related finance work despite of having

expertise. She also stated working behavior of women while dealing with another woman is more

compassionate and empathic as compared to men. She pointed out men are less supportive while

understanding problems as compare to women thus she prefers working in women dominated

environment. However, she says there are very less professions in Pakistan that are women dominated

and yet respectful.

From our primary research it indicates gender discrimination does exist at workplace but not very

openly. Due to globalization and everyone being well updated with all the relevant laws, it is not easier

to discriminate anyone based upon their gender that easily. Working behaviour of both the genders does

vary to some extent while working with opposite gender because of various reasons. Despite all this

people still prefer working in mixed gender environment as they feel it is the way to future, one gender’s

expertise can help the other one and vice versa.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 25

9) Conclusion

Hence conclusion could be made that gender of your colleague does affect your own performance to

some extent however it depends upon situation to situation and individual to individual. Moreover, the

culture you come from also plays an important role. This research paper purpose was to answer few

basic questions about the relationship between gender and workplace. Through our research we have

found substantial material to relate how your gender can affect your work performance and what kind of

struggles each gender go through. We assume that if some organization offers equal opportunity for

each gender then there would be no gender discrimination, however, we fail to understand that our

history does still plays an impact. In some informal way it still exists in every sphere and part of the

world. Moreover, socialization and background of every individual makes them react in different way

for example due to their socialization someone may be confident to deal and work with opposite gender

whereas other might not be because of not receiving equal opportunities in life.

10) Indications:

If there is gender discrimination at your workplace you might not perform better at work. You might

feel resentment and jealousy for your colleague towards whom system is biased

If you do not get respect at your workplace it can result in demotivation. Maslow also suggested

motivation pyramid behind every employee amongst which self-respect was being the basic one

We studied personal experiences of many employees and how it impacted their working performance

and caused demotivation.

WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 26

11) References

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self-differentiation, partner abuse, conflict resolution tactics, marital satisfaction and quality of

life. International Journal of Behavioural Research & Psychology, 1(2), 5-1

Gberevbie, D.E., Osibanjo, A.O., Adeniji, A.A. &Oludayo, O.O. (2014). An empirical study gender

discrimination and employee performance among academic staff of government universities in Lagos

state.

Gurian,M. Annis,B. (2008) "Leadership and the Sexes"; (pp113-120)

Hora, E.A. (2014).Factors that affect women participation in leadership and decision-making

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Shastri, A. (2014). Gender inequality and women discrimination. IOSR Journal of Humanities and

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WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 27

12) Annex

12.1) Questions asked in the interview

Tell us briefly about your work

Did you face any discrimination at work?

Do you feel people’s working behaviour vary according to their colleague’s gender?

Do you prefer working in mixed gender working environment or the one dominated by single gender?

Interviewee

 Advocate Murtaza Naqvi (Lawyer, Owner of Law Firm)

 Ms.Aimen Tarrar (Shoe designer)

 Ms. Maryam Khan (Sale representative at Milani)

 Mr Raheel Khan (Employee at Warid)

12.1.1) Questionnaire

1) Your gender?

 Male

 Female

2) Have you ever worked in any organization?

 Yes

 No

 Previously

3) Did you face any discrimination?

 Yes

 No
WORKING BEHAVIOUR OF MEN & WOMEN 28

4) Do you prefer working in mixed gender working environment or single gender dominated working

environment?

 Mixed

 Single gender dominated

5) State the reason for your previous answer.