Women Would Rather Have Male Bosses, Study Shows

A recent study showed that women who embrace a more assertive attitude at the work place – the so-called “alpha” women – are more likely to earn more than those who come across as simply too good to be true or, oppositely, as neurotic. However, were women to have a choice in the election of their boss, they would most likely choose a man over another woman, another poll reveals, as the Daily Mail informs.

Women see men as more able to “steer the ship,” harder and more driven, which makes of them better leaders. Contrastingly, where a female superior is concerned, women simply seem to be able to find more things to criticize and judge, with many of them even believing they could do a better job than their boss, which does not apply when the boss is a he, the findings indicate. Women bosses are more emotional and more likely to make rash decisions, which is yet another minus for them in the eyes of their female employees.

The survey was conducted by OnePoll, on a batch of 2,000 women either with part- or full-time employment. Two thirds of the respondents said they were happier with having a man in charge at the office because female bosses are more “prone to mood swings.” Other qualities that men bosses have and their counterparts don’t, also according to the employees queried, are being authoritative, better in the decision-making process and straight-talking. However, that is not to say women as bosses don’t cut it at all, since they are more likely to speak well and praise an employee, while also being better at delegating.

The results of the study are interesting because they highlight the pros and cons for both genders, a spokesman for OnePoll tells the Mail. This is of further importance because, in many contexts, a boss who can rule with an iron fist, such as is the case of a male boss, is not what it takes to get things moving. The study also brings to attention again the issue of female employees who work under a female boss and who constantly complain of “underlying tension” at work (one in six women) because of it.

“Men were also revealed to be better at having an overall vision of the direction the business was going to take over the long-term. But women were better at dealing with those slightly uncomfortable issues that pop up from time to time because they were felt to be better listeners than men. On the other hand many women felt they could do as good or even better than their female boss while only a handful said they could emulate their male manager. The results do paint a picture of men being a bit harder and more driven, but that isn’t always the kind of approach which is needed.”