Men make better bosses, survey says

Mumbai: Women are no doubt seen today as bringing different skills to their place of work but despite being equally competent as their male counterparts, they continue to battle unfair and dated perceptions, a new survey reveals.

When asked about which gender makes a better boss, 45 per cent of 407 young respondents interviewed across eight major cities felt that males made better bosses while 24 per cent felt females were better, according to the findings of a survey on Gender Preferences in Bosses conducted by TeamLease Services, a staffing company that conducts surveys to look at India's labour market changes from a conventional thought angle.

Among males, a preference for male bosses was indicated in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chennai while women preferred female bosses in Mumbai and Ahmedabad in contrast to a preference for male bosses in Chennai.

Women in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi and Pune were more flexible and did not show any particular gender bias. The common trend across cities was that most respondents had male rather than female bosses.

Mumbai leads with a higher proportion of female bosses followed by Bangalore. Yet, 50 per cent of respondents from this city as well as Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Pune felt that males have a better chance of getting ahead at the workplace.

Moreover, three-fourth of respondents agree that being a woman would constrain them to take up a senior level opportunity while one fourth disagree that being a woman constrains them.

Overall, males show a 'same gender' preference while females are more flexible.