Men rule — at least in workplace attitudes (Even women seem skeptical of female bosses in survey)

[wicket]

LINK

-snip-

While more than half our 60,000 respondents said a person's sex makes no difference to leadership abilities, most who expressed a preference said men are more likely to be effective leaders. Of male respondents, 41 percent said men are more likely to be good leaders, and 33 percent of women agreed. And three out of four women who expressed a preference said they would rather work for a man than a woman.

The survey, conducted early this year, found a bonanza of stereotypes among those polled, with many using the optional comment section to label women "moody," "bitchy," "gossipy" and "emotional." The most popular term for woman, used 347 times, was "catty."

There are still few women in the corner office today, and the numbers appear to be declining. Our survey sheds light on one obstacle blocking women from the boardroom: negative attitudes about women leaders — attitudes women themselves still harbor.

“One cannot live in a sexist society without absorbing some of those messages, which make women feel worse about themselves and suspicious of other women," said Janet Lever, a professor of sociology at California State University in Los Angeles, who helped conceive the survey. "The enemy is omnipresent cultural messages, not women themselves."

There are long-established attributes that are assigned to men and women, says Madeline E. Heilman, an expert on workplace sex bias and professor of psychology at New York University. Women take care of others and nurture, while men are seen as taking charge and being assertive. The problem is, she says, when we map these attributes onto the workplace the male attributes are much more sought after.

[Dora]

1. NO CHICKS IN THE BAND!

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I've worked for both men and women, and honestly, my BEST

boss was Elaine, who owned the answering service. It had nothing to do with gender, but rather her personality and character. There were times we had our differences of opinion, but we always remained respectful and friendly. She was always available and took the business quite seriously while raising four children including a newborn. She would substitute for a missing operator and answer the phones with the rest of us. We buried a coworker together. We still meet for breakfast and catch up since she sold the business. Not to sound mawkish and sentimental, but she really made me a better employer by making me focus on being more customer service friendly and asking better questions.

[JerseygirlCT]

12. I've had good bosses, and awful bosses, of either sex

The good ones were more concerned about the staff and team-work, and less concerned about themselves and what they were getting out of it.

But I have certainly noticed that any time a woman gets upset (angry), she's so often written off as being "bitchy", while a guy in the same spot is being take-charge. Those attitudes linger, even today. Such a shame!

[treestar]

3. 33% and 41% is still a minority

This has improved quickly, as at least the majority does not agree with the concept men are better leaders. Even among men.

[skypilot]

4. moody, bitchy, gossipy, emotional, catty...

This is all so foreign to me. I'm 42 years old and almost every boss I've ever had has been female--including at my current job. I've liked some more than others but I've never felt that the ones I didn't like were any of the things listed above. They were simply incompetent or not nice people--just like a male boss can be.

[wicket]

5. kick

:kick:

[rebel with a cause]

6. I worked for many years and had male and female bosses.

My best bosses were women and my worst bosses were women. The men were somewhere in between.

My women bosses were never in between. I either loved them because they were really nice and good at what they did, or they were mean spirited and deceitful, and were horrible bosses. Some of my men bosses were not that nice, but they had moments where they were. I worked with men like the bad women bosses, but never had them for a boss. Thank heavens.

Off the subject, but I prefer a woman doctor because from my experiences women doctors tend to listen to you better than men doctors and will take the time to explain what is going on with you. From my experiences, I then prefer a male veterinarian because they tend to tell you more of what clinically is going on with your pet and what your options are. Am I stereotyping here? You betcha ya, I probably am. But my opinions are based on my experiences and I have had some extensive ones in the last year with both.

[MazeRat7]

7. FWIW, after 25+years in the workforce I'll say this...

My best co-workers have been women and my best managers have been men. But I'm in high-tech which is an odd niche anyway. :shrug:

MZr7

[AX10]

8. Men make better bosses.

That was my experience.

[ShortnFiery]

9. I've had both good and bad WOMEN bosses ...

But IMO, the "excellent" women leaders almost alway participated in TEAM SPORTS in their youth, i.e., basketball, softball, martial art's team sparing competitions, etc. etc.

Mastering the art of pulling people together in order to work toward a common goal is an invaluable management skill.

Leadership is gender neutral and, IMO, a somewhat acquired skill. ;)

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Absolutely on the acquired skill. You most definitely have to

learn how to be a good boss/leader.

And as you say, it has a lot to do with focusing people on a shared goal, and then actually leading.

[wicket]

14. Agreed`

:thumbsup:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. I was "skeptical" of every boss I ever had.

Male, female, geniuses, idiots. They were all convinced that I was supposed to be willing, happy, even eager to do what they wanted me to do.

I had one helluva time convincing them that I was there to get a paycheck for the least amount of work possible. Once that fact was established, and their delusions were replaced by reality, we generally got along.

[live love laugh]

11. I would say women are seen as bad when they act like men bosses

That is, when women are not what at they are stereotypically expected to be, then they get labeled as bitchy, catty, etc.

I, too have had some terrible women bosses, and I've had some of the best. The best were not necessarily nurturing, they were just good people. I think men tend to be a little more "big picture" but I've run into a few of them who are as small sighted as the best of them.

It all boils down to what kind of people the men or women are, not their gender.

[lukasahero]

15. My current boss is one of the best I've worked for - male BUT

what makes him so good is that he has many otherwise "feminine" sensibilities: he's "nurturing" of his staff, gives compliments freely, is sensitive to the real-life feelings of his people... etc.

I have worked primarily for women and have found most of them to be wonderful mentors and advisors for my career. This one guy I'm working for now seems to be following in their footsteps. Maybe the day is coming when we'll decide that the qualities that make up a good manager don't really have a gender.

[youthere]

16. I think many people have different expectations of female bosses...

I think the female boss (by virtue of her sex) is "expected" on some level to be gentle and motherly (perhaps even a pushover?), so there is less tolerance when she takes a strong leadership role and acts like a boss.
I've worked for both men and women-some have been good some haven't. But I do know that on some gut level, when my male boss pissed me off I was able to shake it off a lot easier than when my female boss did. So the problem isn't necessarily who the boss is and whether they are male or female, the problem is our own perception and biases we harbor.