AGE & GENDER DIVERSITY
Carrie Guggenmos Spring 2012
OVERVIEW
Age Diversity Statistics Barriers Myths Advantages
Gender Diversity Biological differences Behavioral differences Mate guarding Leadership
DIVERSITY
Refers to variation in important human characteristics that distinguish people from one another Primary dimensions: age, gender, ethnicity, race,
mental/physical abilities Workplace diversity
Diversity of those employed by a business/organization
Trends Workforce is continuing to get older More women employed than ever before
AGING WORKFORCE: STATISTICS
AGING WORKFORCE: STATISTICS
AGING WORKFORCE: STATISTICS
AGING WORKFORCE: STATISTICS
AGING WORKFORCE: WHY DO WE CARE
Large untapped source of potential labor Approximately 10-30 years of life expectancy in
retirement
Barriers for older adults Attitudes and practices in an organization might
hinder employment opportunity
Healthcare costs
Phased Retirement
AGING WORKFORCE: MYTH VS. REALITY
Older workers can’t or won’t learn new skills
Older workers don’t stay on the job long
Older workers take more sick days than younger workers
Older workers aren’t flexible or adaptable
Older workers are more expensive
AGING WORKFORCE AND THE LAW
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) 1967 Protects individuals age 40 and over Applies to the private and federal level
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) 1974 Minimum standards for pension plans in private
industries
ADVANTAGES OF OLDER WORKERS
Are careful, calm, and effective Less training costs due to their experience Higher organizational commitment Equal or better attendance rates Lower on-the-job accident rates Higher performance and productivity than
younger workers More reliable Stronger work ethic Can serve as mentors
Lower levels of turnover
PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES Sensory systems
Vision Visual acuity Contrast Sensitivity Dark adaptation
Hearing Hindered performance on auditory tasks Poor auditory discrimination
Musculoskeletal systems Balance Reaction time Joint mobility
Other
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ORGS
Reform workplace practices
Pensions & benefit plans
Allow access to pension during phased retirement
Combat negative stereotypes
Create opportunities for skill building
Job flexibility
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS
Increase national pension eligibility to 65 (UK & Japan)
Government promoted programs that match older workers with employers or offer training opportunities (UK & Japan)
Instituted a defined-contribution system (i.e., pay as you go) and benefit system calculated to reward those who work longer (Sweden)
Increased the reward for those who defer drawing benefits from the national pension system (UK)
Creation of a government commission to explore new policies to promote skill development for older workers (Sweden)
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIuzaXvvBV0&feature=related
GENDER DIVERSITY
WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE: STATS
GENDER: BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES
Brain Structure W > M
Language areas Levels of grey matter
M > W Amygdala & Hypothalamus Levels of white matter
Brain Function W > M
Hemispheric communication/integration M > W
Hemispheric/lateralization (probably due to testosterone)
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOR
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COMMUNICATION
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MATE GUARDING
“Strategies designed to preserve access to a mate while simultaneously preventing the encroachment of intrasexual rivals, and preventing a mate from defecting from the mateship” (Buss, 2002)
Men More to become distressed by sexual infidelity Less likely to forgive Women More distressed by emotional infidelity Less likely to forgive Differences documented cross-culturally China, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Japan,
Korea
MATE GUARDING TACTICS
Males Possessive markings Confront competitors (e.g., threats, violence) Conceal partner Show off resources
Females Enhance physical appearance Engage in verbal threats Vigilance
PERCEPTION OF RIVALS
Which rivals are most threatening? Men most threatened by individuals who surpass
them in Financial prospects Job prospects Physical strength
Women most threatened by individuals with More attractive face More desirable body
GENDER AND MANAGEMENT
Just as a note: Women make up:
38% of first or mid-level managers 29% of executive or senior-level managers
Of Fortune 500 Firms: 1.8% of CEOs 9.4% of highest clout positions (executive VP and
above) 6.4% of highest paid positions
GENDER AND LEADERSHIP
Women Transformational Communal Person-oriented
Men Transactional Agentic Task-oriented
However, research has been inconclusive
LEADERSHIP AND STEREOTYPES
Role Congruity theory Large degree of congruency between “male” traits
and “manager” traits (Eagly & Karua, 2002) Think manager-think male
Effects on evaluation and attribution Feminine women more likely to receive negative
evaluations Even if all else is equal, males still seen as more effective
leaders than women
Evolutionary theory Depends on the type of conflict (Van Vugt and Spisak
2008) Females perceived as better leaders than male leaders
when competition came from within the group, Male leaders were rated better than female leaders when
competition was between groups.
GENDER, STATUS AND ANGER EXPRESSION
Domagalski and Steelman (2007)
Employees of both sexes and at both high and low levels of the hierarchy reported controlling their anger and holding their anger in when in the presence of those at a different status level
Low status males reported a higher likelihood to express anger outwardly compared to low status females
Comments? Questions?