Gender Differences in Success - Research Paper Example

Gender differences in success Social constructions around gender have had implications for performance and success among men and women right from early stages of life to adulthood. With different social roles ascribed to men and women, their choices and attitudes have seen them fair differently in different fields. The proposed study leans against the role of gender differences in success. Different backgrounds have provided an insight into attitudes spared towards different sexes and the implications of socially structured stereotypes on the performance of some people in some fields. The study will revolve around related literature and embark on the efficient methodology to collect and analyze data. The study will focus on the implications of gender in success and results will find use in education centers and the society. Introduction The society has a tendency to measure success in various fields based on a number of factors. Thus, gender difference is one element that has shaped the structure of social, political and economic settings ranging from our families and classrooms to the workplace. The fulfillment of the aims and objectives of this research will illuminate the role of gender and its contribution to realizing success in a variety of settings. The research will help understand potential differences affiliated with males and females in the definition of success in any given setting. Background The virtue of masculinity and femininity has been used as a measure of the degree of possible success in many situations with the society attaching different notions and perceptions with respect to sexes (Bem, An unconventional family, 2001). Such notions are inspired by beliefs and need for positive outcomes with success in given endeavors given a priority. Studies have revealed how some families prefer different sexes especially at birth as different values are attached to different genders. Families in India look at the birth of males as a sign of good omen, fortunes, and success in future from the fact that they would receive dowry for their son. There is a monetary attachment to such dowry, and gold is a common item in such event, a valuable tool that serves as a sign of success. Some families have been found to look at daughters as a liability and to see lowered chances of success opening doors to sex discrimination. Sex differences in learning and education, is a general area that researchers have spent time in and have found different elements though we still find un-answered questions. Men and women have been found to fair differently in their educational experiences during and after life in classrooms (Pearson, 2008). The different sexes view their chances of success in various subjects and fields differently, perceptions that are based on societal stereotypes and the structure of our respective societies especially the job markets (Borders, 2001). Performance in mathematics and sciences reveal those who succeed in such areas have gender being a common element of consideration. Men tend to fare well in such areas, and this notion increases their prospects of success, unlike their female counterparts. Performance in languages reveals a different perspective about females whom research and studies have found successful in this particular area with respect to how males fair here. Success in the classroom among different genders has females lean to one area that they feel works best with their making but in reality is a matter of the chances of succeeding in such areas. While they flourish in writing and chose careers related to such areas. Their male counterparts find success in mathematics and sciences and further succeed in such professions as engineering where the society has stereotyped their presence (Sabine Koch, 2008). Nevertheless, it gets even interesting when gender difference is used as a parameter for success; it influences decisions made regarding a particular gender. Some societies reveal different literacy levels for males relative to women. Globally, men have been found to be more literate than women, and their success has been attributed to this factor in many areas. Bangladesh has some statistics that suggest that that in 100 educated men only 62 women are literate (BBC, 2005). Society in the past felt that women would not fare well in education, and that wasn’t helped by gender bias and attitudes that were not helpful to women. Women would consequently have limited the acquisition of resources and their chances of success in a male dominated society were low. Opening a door for women and ensuring their right to equal opportunity in education has partially closed the gap. However, some societies in some parts of the middle east still have no place for women education leaving little room for their success. Success in the business arena has been defined with the type of leadership involved, and the question of choices based on gender has been persistent. Gender and business performance in terms of survival and success has been a subject of research with findings being in favor of female leadership over males (Kalleberg, 2001). Women have been found to be more successful in running business that carry on for long and survive better relative to those led by men. Females are more involved in self-employment at a higher rate with respect to men with their performance being better than that of men. Regardless, businesses run by men have been found to generate more revenue than those led by women. The performance among women in business has been found to be dependent on education, families, and values that are structured by the society (Kalleberg, 2001). Their ability to start businesses and succeed is dependent on the availability of capital that is mostly found in the hands of men. With little or no education, they would lack financial literacy and thus low chances of success. With a modern world that has attached so much value to gender equality, women have acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes and their performance in many areas have been commended. Many businesses are opting for women as leaders. However, gross incomes are realized by male leaders remain significantly higher than what is realized by women though the performance of the two genders varies with the type of industry involved (Kalleberg, 2001). Statement of purpose The purpose of this study is to determine how gender affects individuals and organizations in realizing their goals and purpose, and how the notions based on sexes have affected the choices, we make in pursuit of success. The research is based on quantitative and qualitative study to try and address the general perception of genders. Moreover, it focuses on the beliefs and values attached to certain genders and the implications of such notions in the society. In addition, it tries to understand the connection between gender and success. Moreover, it looks on preference based on gender by organizations and examine how the particular perceptions of gender in hunt for success that may result in sex discrimination and other possible consequences of such discriminations. Research question The study explains the role of gender differences in success and the implications of social constructions of gender on the success of individuals and organizations. There are a number of questions from the main questions that offer guidance to the research and include: 1. How does one’s gender affect the choices they make in life? 2. Why does the society have already established notions and beliefs attached to various genders? 3. How influential does the society establish the social constructions of the decisions and choices made by individuals and organizations? 4. How do different genders fair in individual performances in their early stages of life especially in the classroom? 5. Does the structure of the curriculum offered in such classrooms consider the varying needs of different genders? 6. Are the parameters of success in such classrooms a reflection of the stereotypes established by the society or true picture of the ability of a particular gender in a given area? 7. How do social settings like education centers shape the future of individuals in terms of success in their career choices? 8. How are men and women fairing in the business areas in their particular professions? 9. Which is the most preferred gender in leadership roles in contemporary society? 10. Does different performance among genders in social, political and economic settings lead to sex discrimination? 11. What is the role of the government in establishing gender equality? Research Hypothesis As a point of reference to this study, the investigation featured one research hypothesis: The society affiliates success with gender and different individuals fair differently in various fields as inspired by the notions already established by the society. Significance of the study The proposed study will be a theoretical resource to the body of knowledge that cuts across gender, the role of gender in such settings as families, classrooms, and in the workplace. The study shall help address different scenarios that come with gender and help establish special attention to the needs of particular sexes. Theoretical framework The proposed study revolves around the gender Schemers theory that that focuses on how individuals become gendered in given social settings (Bem, Gender Schemer Theory: A Cognitive Account of Sex Typing, 2001). Information pertaining certain gender is transmitted through a system of networks with some of such information being retained more than others are. Individuals are sex-typed differently, and this is manifested in their actions. Gender stereotypes are a common aspect of the society today, and their psychological implications are evident. The proponents of the theory will shape the research question of the proposed study. Literature review The research topic cuts across a wide area in the review of the literature. Mirjam Weis, Gisela Trommsdorf, and Tobias Heikamp investigate the role of gender difference in school achievement (Mirjam Weis, 2013). They consider the variable self-regulation that they branch into emotion and behavior regulation. They measure the performance of the learners in mathematics and German with a close reference to their gender while their emotional motivation is checked as well as their behavior. Some elements that come with gender were found to influence performance and success in the particular subjects. Extraverted males were found to perform poorly with respect to their female counterpart. Girls were found to have the tendency of working to please adults an element that saw them achieve better grades (Seligman, 2001). The girls would again fall victims of social structure stereotypes and performed poorly in mathematics (Mirjam Weis, 2013). The study would confirm the role of gender in success, but they do not elaborate well on how self-regulation and behavior regulation fared with gender. They registered improved performance among girls who had a better sense of self-regulations and felt the need to attach importance to their studies. Boys would be easily distracted and engage in less constructive activities and achieve little at the end of the day. The tendency to digress from good behavior in all genders would be observed, but Mirjam Weis, and others offer little insight on how it faired between them. Nevertheless, their literature perspective provides tangible materials that will inspire the purpose of this research study. Arne Kalleberg findings inspire the purpose of our research question as he investigated the role of gender in organizational performance (Kalleberg, 2001). The survival chances of firms based on leadership was an area of concern in the context of male or female. While males seemed to generate more revenue annually than females, their businesses were found to be more likely to collapse with respect to those led by women. This illuminates our research area where we would want the connection between success and gender in the operation of organizations. How the organization is structured as inspired by the respective leaders would offer an insight on which gender formulates the best strategy for success. Anne S. Tsui offers an insight as her work on gender differences examines the performance and career success of industrial middle managers. She suggests that women in such positions were found content with their jobs and would earn promotion faster than their male counterparts (Tsui, 2001). This would shape our research topic and help realize the aims and goals of the study. Methodology Participants The research study will feature families with varied social backgrounds whole offer their perception and notions about success as inspired by gender. Schools at elementary, secondary, and higher institutions will also be involved. This would feature learners, teachers and parents, and career instructors. Business organizations from various sectors of the economy will also be involved. Employees and their leaders would feature to provide their opinion on the research question. Variables The independent variable in the research study will be gender. The independent variable will be success. The levels of gender factor will be the presumed causes of variance in the dependent factor performance. Research Design Data collection will feature quantitative and qualitative research designs and involve interviews, questionnaires, observations, search, and analysis of secondary sources. The interviews will provide first-hand information regarding the participants and share some information on the research topic. The researcher will be in a position to assess the human condition and see its role in success. Analysis of secondary data will provide statistics and application of both quantitative, and qualitative approaches will help complement and validate the information collected. This will serve to ensure that the data gathered is credible and reliable. Experimental design The collected data will be analyzed to identify some specific factors for arrangement and testing. The levels of the factor gender will be compared and contrasted. The levels of gender factor combined with the variable performance as based on gender will provide the experimental condition. Decisions will be made on whether to test the factors involved using ‘within subjects’ approach or ‘between subject’ approach. The study will identify a sample of 60 students in the college level who pursue mathematics. Every level of the class from first to fourth year will provide a cohort of 15 individuals; 8 females and 7 males. A test in mathematics will be issued based on the academic level of the learners. The results will be tabulated based on gender and class level. Average performance across all class levels based on gender shall be established as shown in table 1 and 2. The findings will be analyzed, verified, and tested against the research topic. Table 1  Gender 1st years 2nd years 3rd years 4th years Average performance of females         Average performance of males         Table 2 Data analysis and interpretation The basic analysis will involve establishing consistency in the subjective data and close comparison to identify similarity and comparison. The participants will share insight on the degree of reliability on what they gathered from the field and second the credibility of the data from interpretation. The Miles and Hubermann approach to qualitative data analysis will offer a systematic strategy of gathering, organizing and analyzing data realized. The researcher will develop propositions through conclusions and verifications. Ethical considerations and protection of human rights The data at hand is from people and involves people thus need to underscore the ideas of consent, access, and ethical issues involved. Interaction with respondents will meet the accepted general procedures and protocols for data collection. The research study will seek informed consent from respondents and participants and involve relevant authorities where minors are involved. Full information and reasons for participation in the study will be shared. The researcher will guarantee privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity of participants. Permission will be sought from individuals for use of their materials and documents. Results The data will be integrated to realize a meaningful and coherent picture of the research topic. Higher order concepts will be developed through systematic and constant comparisons. The aims and objectives are to create a reliable piece of information that will help answer the main question of the research study. This done by interacting with participants fully for experiences, knowledge, expectations and understanding of the role of gender in success and achievements among individuals and organizations in the contemporary society. Discussion The results of the proposed study will be evaluated based on the research question. The role of gender differences in social, political, and economic success will be established and put in the paper and measured against the results of previous related research studies. The results will be used to shape up various settings in the society, signal areas that need improvement and correct areas characterized by sex discrimination. The findings will provide a backup for those who would want to carry research in the same area of study. Limitations of the proposed study will be identified in the field, and the first-hand experiences will provide a build-up plan for future research. An apparent limitation of the current research design is the assumption that organizations and participants will be willing to share their sensitive financial information in the eyes of their competitors. Future research would consider the willingness of the participants based on the experiences encountered in the current study. Findings, results, and significance of the proposed study will be documented and shared with the public. REFERENCES BBC. (2005, Nov 9th). "Illiteracy hinders worlds poor. Retrieved April 11th, 2015, from BBC: www.bbc.com Bem, S. (2001). An unconventional family. New Haven: Yale University Press. Bem, S. (2001). Gender schemer theory: A cognitive account of sex typing . Psychological review, 355-78. Borders, R. h. (2001). Twenty-five years after the Bem Sex-Role Inventory: A reassessment and new issues regarding classification variability. . Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 33-55. Kalleberg, A. (2001). GENDER AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: DETERMINANTS OF SMALL BUSINESS SURVIVAL AND SUCCESS. Academy of management journal, 136-161. Mirjam Weis, T. H. (2013). Gender differences in school achievement: The role of self-regulation. Front psychol, Retrieved online on 12/4/2015 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3713251/. Pearson, J. (2008, March 31st). Blakcwell encyclopedia of psychology. Retrieved April 11th, 2015, from Blackwell reference online: http://www.blackwellreference.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/subscriber/tocnode?id=g9781405124331_chunk_g978140512433113_ss1-16 Sabine Koch, S. M. (2008). Women and Computers. Effects of Stereotype Threat on Attribution of Failure. Computer and Education, 1794-99. Seligman, A. D. (2001). Self-discipline gives girls the edge: gender in self-discipline, grades, and achievement test scores. Education psychol, 198-208. Tsui, A. (2001). A Role Set Analysis of gender differences in performance, affecive relationships, and career success of industrial middle managers. . Academy of management journal, 619-635. Read More