Managing Females vs. Males: Is There a Difference?

With women in the workforce at about the same rate as men, there are good chances that, as a manager, you’ll have both on your team. But can you manage them the same, and should you? Is there a difference in managing females vs males?

There is a difference in managing females vs males when it comes to motivation, but the differences are greater between individuals than between the sexes. The key to success is treating people according to their individual traits rather than the characteristics of the category they belong.

Leading people with various temperaments and work styles can be challenging, especially when examining the differences between males and females. This article will discuss those differences and then show you how to manage female and male employees based on the differences.

Are Females Less Motivated Than Males?

Females are not less motivated than males, but different things might motivate the different genders, which sometimes leads to the misconception that females are less motivated than males.

An article published in the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions outlined the factors that motivated each gender. As it turns out, men are more motivated by money, while women are more motivated by inter-office relationships and feeling welcome at the office.

The other things that motivate females include:

• Work-life balance
• Providing good customer service
• Respect from co-workers and supervisors
• Opportunities for learning and development on the job

However, males thrive more on the following factors:

• Opportunities for promotion
• Bonuses and raises
• Great benefits
• The nature of their work

Males and females tend to be more motivated by the following:

• Flexibility regarding working conditions
• Basic pay scales
• How long they can stay in their current job

These factors don’t account for those in management positions, as they tend to approach supervisory duties equally.

While the article linked suggests that it’s because women tend to “think more like men” when reaching this level, it might actually be because both genders realize they need to work with both genders fairly.

Whichever the reason, whenever managers assume that females are less motivated than males, they miss out on what could be their next “rock star” employee.

Whenever managers assume that females are less motivated than males, they miss out on what could be their next “rock star” employee.

Managers Miss Out on Great Female Employees

Dismissing female employees as less motivated than male employees can be detrimental to the organization because female employees, of course, can bring a lot to the table, including strategic thinking and planning.

However, they can also bring just as much to the table as men, and managers who dismiss female employees can miss out on diversity and strengths for the entire team.

Managers Need to Look at Individual Traits Rather Then Generalisations

Most employees will bring a lot to the team if you encourage them to show their strengths. While males and females are motivated differently, this doesn’t mean you should dismiss or not give any group of people enough work.

The key is to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, no matter the sex. Women will bring just as much to the workplace as men, and if you want to build a high-performing team, you need to start looking at people as individuals rather than generalize based on a category.

Improve Your Team by Getting To Know What Drives Your Female Employees

It can be difficult in a professional environment to get to know your female employees, especially if you’re a male, because there could be misunderstandings and misinterpreted intentions. And unfortunately, people are often very quick to judge someone before they are found guilty, so men must tread carefully and professionally when working with female employees.

People like to put scandal where there is none, but getting to know your female employees will increase your bottom line and create a better work environment. It is worth the risk.

How To Manage Female Employees

To manage female employees, remember that they are, in general, geared more toward cooperation and collaboration. They need to feel valued and respected and have a good work-life balance. As a leader, it is more effective to asses each employee as an individual rather than based on generalizations.

When women feel like they’re not getting the same pay as men in the same position with the same experience and education level, they aren’t as motivated to do a great job. Or, when they feel like they aren’t valued for their accomplishments, there’s little point for them to stay motivated.

Managing female employees has more in common with managing male employees than it has differences, as both sexes tend to thrive in a calm, welcoming, and appreciative environment.

However, based on the following studies, there seem to be some things to take into consideration when working with female employees:

• Women talk less about facts and figures and include more anecdotes and personal information.
• Working women with children experience reduced work involvement. This is worth knowing so you, as a manager, can figure out a way to increase engagement when private life is becoming more important.
• Women self-promote less. Men, however, brag more about their accomplishments, so encouraging female employees to have the confidence to speak about their skills goes a long way to helping them show their true value in the workplace.

Conclusion

There’s a difference between males and females regarding motivation on a large scale, but unless you are managing hundreds of people, then the conclusion is crystal clear, you need to lead individuals, not categories of people.

Learn each of your employee’s strengths and weaknesses, and treat them accordingly; stop using gender ideology to understand human behavior, it’s more wrong than right when working with people.