Whether it's on TV or in the workplace, the general consensus seems to be that women gossip, backstab, and stir up more conflict than men do. But, as with every other topic, I thought it only fair to put this so-called stereotype under the microscope.
If you watch reality shows like Celebrity Apprentice, you'll notice it's the women who spend far more time bickering. While the men do at times become embroiled in tit for tat, it's the women who are portrayed as meaner and more hostile.
In the workplace, I have noticed that women seem to gossip far more than their male counterparts. I haven't really seen any cases where a person blatantly backstabs the other, but I have caught both men and women in little white lies.
If it is true that women are generally more into backstabbing and gossiping than men, why is this the case?
I believe that it isn't fair to make a blanket statement like "all women play these games while all men keep to themselves and prefer peace and quiet." You can only go on a case-by-case basis as we all have decidedly different personalities -- some men may love backstabbing others for personal gain, and some women may like to stay out of the fray completely.
But perhaps the reason why people assume women are more combustible is because they're perceived as being more emotional than men. People think that men are rational creatures who strive to solve problems and get things done while women are sensitive beings who get more easily worked up over things.
Studies have found that that's generally the case -- women tend to display more emotion, whether good or bad, than men.
But how does this tie back to backstabbing?
I think that women are far more competitive with those of their same gender than men are, except maybe when it comes to sports. Women size each other up all the time when it comes to clothing, makeup, body shape, upward mobility at work, and more.
Men generally don't care about that stuff. They stick to things that usually less personal in nature -- like sports, the news, the housing market, and women.
In other words, it seems women place more of an emphasis on their image in comparison to other women than men do. Men still strive to get in shape, earn a promotion, and achieve other things, but don't compare themselves as much to other men in the process.
Considering most of you on this blog are women, do you agree with my points?
If you watch reality shows like Celebrity Apprentice, you'll notice it's the women who spend far more time bickering. While the men do at times become embroiled in tit for tat, it's the women who are portrayed as meaner and more hostile.
In the workplace, I have noticed that women seem to gossip far more than their male counterparts. I haven't really seen any cases where a person blatantly backstabs the other, but I have caught both men and women in little white lies.
If it is true that women are generally more into backstabbing and gossiping than men, why is this the case?
I believe that it isn't fair to make a blanket statement like "all women play these games while all men keep to themselves and prefer peace and quiet." You can only go on a case-by-case basis as we all have decidedly different personalities -- some men may love backstabbing others for personal gain, and some women may like to stay out of the fray completely.
But perhaps the reason why people assume women are more combustible is because they're perceived as being more emotional than men. People think that men are rational creatures who strive to solve problems and get things done while women are sensitive beings who get more easily worked up over things.
Studies have found that that's generally the case -- women tend to display more emotion, whether good or bad, than men.
But how does this tie back to backstabbing?
I think that women are far more competitive with those of their same gender than men are, except maybe when it comes to sports. Women size each other up all the time when it comes to clothing, makeup, body shape, upward mobility at work, and more.
Men generally don't care about that stuff. They stick to things that usually less personal in nature -- like sports, the news, the housing market, and women.
In other words, it seems women place more of an emphasis on their image in comparison to other women than men do. Men still strive to get in shape, earn a promotion, and achieve other things, but don't compare themselves as much to other men in the process.
Considering most of you on this blog are women, do you agree with my points?
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