Status, Gender, and Nonverbal Behavior: A Study of Structured Interactions between Employees of a Company

This study examined organizational status, defined as power and influence within a company, and gender as predictors of nonverbal behavior between employees of the company (N = 46). Participants were videotaped while performing structured tasks in dyadic interactions with two different partners. Nonverbal behaviors conveyed by the face, body, and voice quality were measured in terms of global dimensions (dominance, expressiveness, and warmth) and discrete behaviors such as smiling, nodding, gesturing, gazing, and interrupting. Status and gender effects were examined both on a within-dyads and a between-individuals basis. Although a number of status and gender effects emerged, there was no overall support for Henley’s hypothesis that differences in status can explain gender differences in nonverbal behavior. Indeed, gender and status differences did not parallel each other, and gender differences became more pronounced when status differences were controlled.