Abstract
The paper looks into the gender differences that relate to ethics and explains with the help of examples. It looks into the subject by studying the social differences between men and women and certain circumstances that might favor one gender over the other, when making ethical choices.
Introduction
There is a common belief that men and women differ in their ethical ways, and the potential gender differences lead to differences in ethical behaviors. The relationship between gender and ethical behavior is much more complex than it has been earlier thought. For example, if we discuss ethical perspectives related to cheating behavior, women are less likely to attempt unethical means to succeed as compared to men and are more likely to involve in neutralizing behavior to defend past unethical behavior (Davy, Smith, & Rosen, 2010). For example, research shows that female students find cheating behaviors to be much less acceptable. It is suggested that while women are internally motivated, the men are more motivated externally.
With the number of women increasing at a work place, it would be interesting to see how they differ from men in ethical decision making. Men tend to look upon ethical issues as individual rights while women tend to consider such issues from the perspective of compassion and long term relationships. To understand the different perspective, one needs to go back in the childhood games set for boys and girls. The traditional games for boys teach them the rules and fairness in the games while the traditional games for girls teach them to be tolerant and show respect (Dawson, 1995). For example, a woman at work is likely to ask fewer questions about the honesty of another employee or if a client was telling the truth, as compared to men. The gender socialization differences bring in different impact on their ethical beliefs and thus on their work related decisions.
The unequal spreading of men and women in certain occupations allows one gender to have an advantage over others. For example, men have higher social status and power in the working fields and certain professions, and thus tend to dominate women (Schwabach, 1994).The inequality of power lead to social tension in the society and lead to certain behavioral interactions based simply on the social role identification. Men have been projected to be more aggressive than females.
Given the widespread perception that ethical standards are on the decline, one wonders as to who should be blamed, especially with the perception that men believe in fairness while women are compassionate. Women are certainly increasing their influence in organizations and under certain circumstances may have an advantage in making moral choices and how ethical problems are perceived and resolved (Becker & Ulstad, 2007). Women are seen as making more creative approaches to solving problems and creating higher trust in interpersonal affairs. They are trusted more for their supportive and supervisory styles. However, it is essential to include the views of both genders when raising the issues of ethics and ensure that every voice is heard, irrespective of the gender. Men and women should work together to get creative solutions on the ethical problems.
References
Becker, D. A. & Ulstad, I. (2007). Gender Differences in Student Ethics: Are Females Really More Ethical? Plagiary: Cross‐ Disciplinary Studies in Plagiarism, Fabrication, and Falsification, 77‐91.
Davy, J., Smith, K., & Rosen, D. (2010). Motivation and (Un)Ethical Behavior: Are There Gender Differences? Jeanette A. Davy, Kenneth J. Smith and Donald L. Rosen. Forum on Public Policy, 1-24.
Dawson, L. (1995). Women and Men, morality and Ethics. Business Horizons, 61-68.
Schwabach, J. (1994). Gender differences in ethical judgments. Iowa State University, 1-182.
