ABSTRACT
The study of gender differences in interaction has drawn attention of numerous researchers from the disciplines of psychology, sociology, linguistics, communication, women's studies, and organizational behavior. In addition, in studies that use multiple dependent variables, the lack of gender differences on many of those variables is rarely cited by later reviewers while only the few significant differences are highlighted. Women are found to be more self-disclosing to same-sex partners than are men. However, whether men are disclosing depends on the context. Gender differences tend to be greater in groups that are engaged in brief or one-time encounters than in groups that meet over time. Leadership is associated with masculinity and women are aware of gender-linked expectations for their behavior, making them reluctant to assume overt leadership over men. A great deal of evidence demonstrates that the dominance and leadership attributed to men is displayed more often by high-status than low-status individuals; when status is controlled for, sex differences are diminished.
