ABSTRACT
Over forty years of research on sex differences in conflict management strategy selection reveals a less than successful attempt to deal with conceptual inconsistencies and study results. Findings in this area do not provide unequivocal support for sex-based stereotypes or the influence of male or female preferences in conflict management strategy selection. Some studies in a variety of different settings and relationships identify sex as a salient issue in conflict management strategy selection (Brusko, 2010; Chaudhry, Shami, Saif & Ahmed, 2008; del Pilar Montoya, 2009; Havenga, 2008; Simon & Furnam, 2010; Wheeler, Updegraff, & Thayer, 2010; Winstok, 2009) and other studies suggest that men and women employ quite similar conflict management strategies across a variety of situations (Bermudez & Stinson, 2011; Chung-Yan & Moeller, 2010; Copley, 2008; Haygood, 2010; Shadare, 2009; Wachter, 1999). Researchers do not appear to agree upon the impetus for sex differences in the display or selection of a particular conflict management strategy, nor do the researchers have a consistent theoretical explanation for the findings or the commonly held belief that males and females approach conflict differently. The purpose of this meta-analytical review is to revisit the meta-analytic history and the plethora of studies seeking to determine the impact that sex differences has on conflict management strategy selection.
