Controlling Anger and Happiness at Work: An Examination of Gender Differences

an article by Melissa M. Sloan (Dept of Sociology, Drew University, USA) published in Gender, Work & Organization Volume 19 Issue 4 (July 2012)

Abstract

This article examines gender differences in the emotion management of men and women in the workplace.

The belief in American culture that women are more emotional than men has limited women’s opportunities in many types of work. [It’s not only in American culture that this belief exists.] Because emotional expression is often tightly controlled in the workplace, examining emotion management performed at work presents an opportunity to evaluate gender differences in response to similar working conditions.

Previous research suggests that men and women do not differ in their experiences of emotion and the expression of emotion is linked to status positions. An analysis of survey data collected from workers in a diverse group of occupations illustrates that women express anger less and happiness more than men in the workplace.

Job and status characteristics explain the association between gender and anger management at work but were unrelated to the management of happiness expressions in the workplace.

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