Male or female boss? Who do you prefer?

Marking a change in the cultural mindset of people, there is a growing acceptance of women in leadership positions in some sectors in India. However, the rest of the sectors still show a preference for male bosses, according to a TimesJobs survey, a recruitment portal. 

The preference for a female boss is high in the media and entertainment industry, with nearly 67 per cent respondents preferring to work under a woman leader. Respondents from consumer durables/FMCG companies also showed equal preference for male and female bosses, reveals the survey.

Female bosses are also believed to be more considerate. About 69 per cent respondents feel that female bosses are more ‘considerate and understanding’, 19 per cent believe they are ‘fun and flexible’ and 12 per cent rate them as ‘practical’.

Even as organisations are promoting more women leaders in the workplace, the survey shows the preference of employees, both male and female, is still skewed towards male bosses. While the survey reinforced some facts, it also broke some perceptions.

Of all the respondents who took part in the survey, 66 per cent said they preferred working with a male boss and the rest voted for female bosses.

“One of the reasons the preference is skewed towards male bosses is because of the dearth of women leaders in companies. This pattern is not specific to India but is seen globally. Also, in many industries, employees may not have worked with a female boss at all. Hence the preference for a male boss,” explains TimesJobs.com COO Vivek Madhukar.

In the survey, 79 per cent female respondents say they will prefer a male boss as compared to boss of their gender.

In the case of male respondents, the figure was lower. Sixty-six per cent say they will prefer a male boss. The rest, 34 per cent, said they would like to work under a woman boss.

Of all the male respondents, 79 per cent currently work with a male boss. Of all the female respondents, 54 per cent currently work under a male boss.

When given a choice, those who currently work with a female boss say they will prefer a male boss while those working with male bosses don’t feel a need to switch. As is also evident in the fact that 56 per cent of those who currently work with a female boss would like to have a male boss and 71 per cent of those who currently work with a male boss prefer continuing.

Of all the respondents who prefer a male boss, about 44 per cent feel they are more ‘considerate and understanding’, 30 per cent believe they are ‘practical’, 17 per cent rate them as ‘fun and flexible’ and remaining 9 per cent say they are ‘unbiased’.

Respondents who prefer a female boss, about 69 per cent feel they are more ‘considerate and understanding’, 19 per cent believe they are ‘fun and flexible’ and 12 per cent rate them as ‘practical’. But none rated them as being unbiased.

Interestingly, there's more preference for a female boss with an increase in the years of experience. While junior, entry and middle-level employees say they prefer male bosses, senior professionals, especially with over 20 years of experience, prefer having a female boss.

Nearly 56 per cent respondents from mid-size organizations said they prefer a female boss. About 70 per cent of the respondents from metros and 90 per cent from tier I cities/state capitals prefer a male boss. The gap between preferring a male and a female boss is comparatively lesser in tier II cities with 58 per cent respondents choosing a male boss.

The preference for a female boss is high in the media & entertainment industry, with 67 per cent respondents preferring to work with a female boss. The male to female respondent ratio is 50:50 in this industry.

In IT/telecom, 92 per cent respondents prefer a male boss while those in consumer durables/FMCG companies have equal preference for male and female bosses.

Fifty four per cent of the respondents were male and 46 per cent were female professionals. Also, 69 per cent of the respondents said they currently work for a male boss while 31 per cent said they have a female boss.

Image via Shutterstock

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