Gender Effects on Managerial Communication and Work Performance

Abstract

This study examines how email affects male and female managers’ work performance and stress. Drawing on theories of gender, technology and communication, and focusing on management positions we examine whether email has similar effects on men and women. It is shown that work performance is equally high among men and women but evokes more stress among women. The authors explain this as being due to women’s preference for face-to-face communication over technology-based media. Their results highlight the costs and benefits of both systems in management positions. These results provide a preliminary assessment of how technology-based communication gives rise to an “undercover” aspect of the gender divide in the workplace.