Language and Gender at Workplace: A Case Study of the IT Department at a Public Sector Hospital

Abstract

This qualitative study was designed to explore what kind of gender and language issues existed in the workplace and how workplace discourse plays a key role in this regard. Furthermore, the objective of this study is to provide practical implications by following these predicaments, the issues regarding gender and language can be minimized at the workplace through appropriate workplace discourse. With reference to this, this study employed Fairclough’s model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as the theoretical lens to investigate discourse as the site of power negotiation and social construction. For an in-depth analysis semi structured interviews, participant observations, and document analysis were conducted among IT professionals within the hospital environment. Further to this, this study found that language and gender, both are interrelated terms and at the workplace, both terms play a significant role in the development of the organizational culture. More precisely, language issues often arise when the supervisors, leaders or the senior level managers used inappropriate language at the workplace and further create discrimination at the workplace, which will lead the individuals to exhibit a low level of productivity and consequently, the organizational goals will not be accomplished. The study contributes to broader academic discourse by emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of language and gender research showing its relevance to fields such as management, organizational behavior and human resources, therefore, future research is encouraged to integrate these paradigms across disciplines, thereby enhancing both theoretical depth and practical applicability.