Gender Differences in Interpersonal Trust: Disclosure Behavior, Benevolence Sensitivity and Workplace Implications
Journal
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
Subject
Organisational Behaviour
Authors / Editors
Qiu J;Kesebir S;Gunaydin G;Selcuk E;Wasti A
Biographies
Publication Year
2022
Abstract
Across four studies (N = 4,727), we investigate gender differences in interpersonal trust in work relationships. Drawing on gendered socialization experiences, we propose that feeling able to engage in self-disclosure (disclosure-based trust) is a more fundamental aspect of interpersonal trust for women than for men. Because self-disclosure entails social and emotional risks, we further expect and find that female trustors are more sensitive to others’ benevolence when forming interpersonal trust judgments. Lastly, we show that these gender differences in disclosure-based trust and benevolence sensitivity are associated with divergent responses to benevolent others. Specifically, we test a moderated mediation model and find that benevolent supervisors are associated with higher quality supervisor relationships and greater well-being for women than for men, mediated through higher levels of disclosure-based trust. We discuss the implications of these findings for work relationships and career outcomes.
Keywords
Interpersonal trust; gender differences; self-disclosure; social perception; work relationships; organizational trust; relational norms
Available on ECCH
No