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The
boss preference: Gender matters
Bankrate.com
 If
you think your employees have no preference when it comes to their
boss's gender, think again. According to recent Gallup Poll, 48
percent of Americans prefer a male boss rather than a female boss;
28 percent have no preference; and 22 percent would choose to work
for a woman.
Gallup has been asking the same question for
nearly 50 years: "If you were talking a new job and had your choice
of a boss, would you prefer to work for a man or a woman?"
And for nearly 50 years, men have come out ahead
in the polling -- but it's much less true today than in years past.
The number of workers who prefer female bosses has climbed steadily
during the past 18 years. When polling started in 1953, only 5 percent
of workers said they would prefer a female boss -- and only 2 percent
of men were favorably inclined toward a woman in charge.
Women prefer a male boss
Today, 50 percent of adult women in the
United States say they would prefer to work for a male, compared to
45 percent of men saying the same. One in four women say they would
say they would rather work for a female, compared to one in five men.
Men are more likely to say their boss's gender
doesn't matter, 35 percent compared to 22 percent. The survey's
trend has shifted over the past 20 years. In 1982, 1993, 1995 and
1999, men were more likely to say that their boss' gender didn't
matter. Now, more men -- 45 percent -- say they would prefer a male
boss. However, more males than ever -- 19 percent -- say they would
rather have a female boss.
Younger
women prefer female bosses
When it comes to the younger female workers,
39 percent of women aged 18-29 say they would choose to work for a
woman, while 35 percent would choose to work for a man. When it comes
to women 30 years of age and older, however, 53 percent say they prefer
a male boss.
There's only a slight difference when it comes
to younger men and older men. Forty-four percent of men 18-29 would
choose a male boss, compared to 45 percent of men aged 30 and older
choosing the same.
So while the bias against women bosses has faded,
it's still present. Is it affecting your business?
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