Page 194 - Cultures and Organizations

170 DIMENSIONS OF NATIONAL CULTURES

TABLE 5.5 Key Differences Between Feminine and Masculine Societies
IV: The Workplace

FEMININE MASCULINE

Management as ménage: intuition Management as manège: decisive
and consensus and aggressive
Resolution of confl icts by compromise Resolution of confl icts by letting the
and negotiation strongest win
Rewards are based on equality. Rewards are based on equity.
Preference for smaller organizations Preference for larger organizations
People work in order to live. People live in order to work.
More leisure time is preferred over More money is preferred over more
more money. leisure time.
Careers are optional for both genders. Careers are compulsory for men,
optional for women.
There is a higher share of working There is a lower share of working
women in professional jobs. women in professional jobs.
Humanization of work by contact and Humanization of work by job content
cooperation enrichment
Competitive agriculture and service Competitive manufacturing and bulk
industries chemistry

Masculinity, Femininity, and the State

National value patterns are present not only in the minds of ordinary citi-
zens but, of course, also in those of political leaders, who also grew up as

children of their societies. As a matter of fact, people are usually elected
or co-opted to political leadership because they are supposed to stand for
certain values dear to citizens.
Politicians translate values dominant in countries into political priori-
ties. The latter are most clearly visible in the composition of national gov-
ernment budgets. The masculinity-femininity dimension affects priorities
in the following areas:

■ Solidarity with the weak versus reward for the strong
■ Aid to poor countries versus investing in armaments
■ Protection of the environment versus economic growth