Gender, emotion and power in work relationships

We offer a theoretical account of how gender and emotion combine to influence the development of power in work relationships. We document the profound impact gender has on the display, perception and evaluation of emotion in the workplace. We illustrate the reciprocal relationship between emotion and power, and identify cycles of powerlessness that prevent women from developing and leveraging power in their work relationships. By exploring the nexus of gender, emotion and power in work relationships, we offer new insights into how the gendering of emotion creates and perpetuates gender differences in power in organizations. Implications for research and practice are offered.

► Offers a theoretical account of how gender and emotion combine to affect power in work relationships. ► Examines the reciprocal relationship between emotion and power. ► Documents how gender influences the display, perception and evaluation of emotion at work. ► Explores how the gendering of emotion creates and perpetuates gender differences in power. ► Identifies cycles of powerlessness that keep women from developing and leveraging power at work.