Sex Differences in Small Group Behavior

This paper reports a study of the characteristics of the social interaction of single sex and mixed groups. Two all male groups, two all female groups, and two mixed groups were studied over five 90-minute sessions. Interaction data was gathered by two observers who recorded each time a member spoke and to whom he/she spoke. Group meetings were tape recorded and a sample of 70,000 words was analyzed by the General Inquirer, a computer aided content analysis system. The results indicate connections between societal sex role requirements and small group behavior. The who-to-whom scoring and content analysis similarly reflect the themes of intimacy and interpersonal relations for women, and themes of competition and status for men. The findings also indicate that men and women express different parts of themselves in the content and structure of their groups when interacting with members of the same and the opposite sex.The interaction styles found in this study are then used as a framework from which to understand what does occur in other settings, specifically the classroom, and the committee or work group. Questions are raised about the limitations these styles impose on individual and group potential, and how we might begin to change them. (Author)