Writing Together: Gender's Effect on Collaboration

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 1996

Writing Together: Gender's Effect on Collaboration

Louise Rehling San Francisco State University

Abstract

Recent studies identify gendered differences in communication and collaboration styles which suggest consequences for professional writing classrooms. If, indeed, men tend to stereotype women as clerks, prefer hierarchical collaboration, and value product over process, and, too, if gendered differences tend to increase counterproductive dissent, then the gender balance of writing groups might affect their dominant styles in those respects. However, when I analyzed the behaviors of over sixty student groups in my professional writing classes, I did not find gender balancing to have such effects. Instead, however, I observed other gender-related effects on collaboration: tendencies to stereotype men as technical experts and to self-segregate into gendered working teams. These findings suggest new perspectives on the role of gender for collaborative groups in professional writing classrooms.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 1996-04-01
DOI: 10.2190/xdca-www0-v9fn-y4u9
Open Access: Closed
Topics: professional writing voice and style affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (7)

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Thompson (1999)

Interpreting Textual Data in Writing Research

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Rehling (1998)

Exchanging Expertise: Learning from the Workplace and Educating it, Too

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Cites in this index (8)

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Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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