Vol. 4, No. 6 Asian Social Science 132 Contrasts of Socio-cultural Sexual Differentiation or Discrimination within Chinese and Polish Factories In the Context of Environmental Performance John H.S. Craig (corresponding author) Girac Limited, Environmental Consultants The Wilderness, Old Forge Lane, Preston Capes, Northants, NN11 3TD, UK Tel: 44-1327-361782 E-mail: john.craig@girac.co.uk Mark Lemon Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. Tel: 44-116-257-7979 E-mail: iesd@dmu.ac.uk Abstract This paper presents elements of case study research carried out in twelve factories involved with heavy industry in China and Poland. The research examined how objective measures of environmental performance, derived from expert assessment of the management systems, compare with the perceptions of that performance throughout the managerial ranks. This current paper examines gender-related differences in the perceptions of environmental aspects and the effects these might have on the control of environmental degradation and, further, gender-related differences between perceptions and empirical realities of selected environmental variables. The paper initially sketches out the factory locations and a short history of the research and research questions related to the environment and production. It goes on to outline the management expertise levels and presents concepts of environmental performance and the managers’ perceptions of this performance. The novel methodology used in the collection and analysis of data is described briefly followed by analyses of the data and a subsequent discussion of the findings. Finally, certain conclusions about the proven gender differentiation are summarized and a proposal for some remediation of deleterious affects of both this differentiation and of the organizational dynamics. Keywords: Differentiation, Gender, China, Poland. 1. Introduction 1.1Research locations and questions The corresponding author has been visiting the subject factories in Poland since 1993 as an assessor of their management systems in respect of the standards for quality (ISO9001), environment (ISO14001) and Health and Safety (OHSAS18001). In 1999, the management of each of the factories were asked if they would like to be included in some research into mechanisms of communication, knowledge and decision making, particularly environmental decisions. They agreed to this and, during and after the research activity, workshops were conducted at the factories based on an analysis of the data, on management problems and opportunities. A second phase of field work started in the Autumn of 2002 in China and Poland to investigate facets not covered in the first phase, mainly relating to differences in national and factory culture as represented though organizational behaviour and the management of environmental degradation. The main research questions arising out of this work, and addressed by this paper, concern whether there are differences between the sexes in respect to the perception of environmental and production issues and the behaviours relating to those perceptions. This analysis was extended to investigate how these gender differences might vary between the Chinese and Polish factories.