Gender, Culture, and Corporate Communication: A Cross-Cultural Study of Japan and India

Abstract

As in every social context, gender continues to hold a special significance even in the organizational environment. Workplaces in male-dominated societies are also male-oriented, as gender stereotypes, beliefs, and assumptions of such societies are reinforced in organizations. This domination of the male is embedded mostly within the organizational structure (e.g. hierarchy), organizational activity (e.g. the organization sponsors rugby tournaments for its male employees), working hours, or the organization's language (e.g. the organization expects women to be cooperative and caring and men to be competitive, confrontational, and assertive). Also, the members of the organization internalize this orientation as the normal or natural manner in which the organization functions. Thus, the manner in which a society defines the roles and responsibilities for its men and women clearly influences the roles of men and women in the workplace, and in their occupational situations as well. This is why the present research study, which uses case study as a methodology, argues that the socio-cultural challenges of women such as her limited rights, constrained freedom, and considerable duties at home gets replicated in the workplace as well and that they are often placed at the very bottom of the hierarchical pyramid providing minimal access to positions of authority. The present study makes an attempt to analyze the culture's influence on gender in the corporate communication departments of two organizations located in Japan and India. The authors study Kobe Steel, Ltd., Japan and RINL-VSP, India.