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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

SEXES ARE SHRINKING

The differences between men and women are vanishing in the workplace, but still are prevalent in norms outside of business, according to a survey sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management and conducted by the Centre for International Business Studies in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Ruth Institute in Philadelphia. Among the major findings were the following:

* Compared to an international database of more than 23,000 responses, the differences between males and females is much smaller in the U.S. sample, leading researchers to hypothesize that some American women have taken on "male" types of roles to be successful in business. They respond very differently from men, though, on questions related to their private lives.

* Contrary to stereotypical beliefs, women studied in the U.S. business community were less likely to display emotions than men. This is in sharp contrast with the sexual distinction in other parts of the world, such as Asia and Europe, where females are more likely to show emotions overtly.

* Among human resource respondents, 72% support the premise that women should be encouraged to act more on the "collaborative style of leadership," rather than try to imitate the more traditional "command and control" technique.

* The view of America as a "cultural melting pot" is changing. That model assumes that cultures will assimilate, rather than maintain differences. However, the responses from most ethnic groups in the survey sample reflect the cultures from which they have come.

IS SPELLING BECOMING

A LOST ART?

Americans' spelling skills are declining. Computer users are relying on spell-check functions to verify their work. Many people spend less time reading and writing and can't recognize mistakes when they encounter them. The nation's education system often emphasizes clear communication of ideas over perfect spelling and grammar.

Anca Nemoianu, a linguistics expert at The Catholic University America who helps train language arts teachers, finds that writer who count on computers to flag errors frequently miss words that sound alike, but have different spellings or meanings. In a letter, for example, "Deer John" wouldn't be caught by spell-check because there is no misspelling.

Many teachers and student don't regard spelling mistakes a reasons to lower grades on papers and tests as long as the writing conveys its intended message to its audience. Nemoianu agrees maintaining that, although the should encourage students to look up words and use standard spelling, instructors shouldn't value it over clarity of thought.

She explains that spelling mistakes which become part of written English are examples of the language's capacity for change. She cites the confusion between the plural and the genitive, as in "boys" versus "boy's," that will probably lead to one form-"boys"-acceptance of "nite" for "night" and "thru" for "through."