The Hindu : New Delhi News : It is a man’s world out there

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Thursday, May 15, 2008
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It is a man’s world out there

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Reveals a survey conducted by ASSOCHAM

NEW DELHI: The corporate sector has emerged as the latest bastion of professionals with a “male preference”. Men in this sector seem to have an edge over women when it comes to essaying the role of a boss, according to a new survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Focusing on “Preference of bosses in emerging corporate culture”, the survey revealed that 68 per cent of women and men would rather work for a male boss than a female. The reason apparently is that women are perceived to “approach work with more emotions than men”.

Based on a sample size of nearly 2,500 executives, the survey concluded that 68 per cent women and men prefer a male boss because they believe “males are faster in taking decisions, quicker in disposing of their assigned jobs and much more focused and straight towards their work and at the same time passionate in awarding their subordinates with functional autonomy to completely let them enjoy their work”.

Releasing the findings, an ASSOCHAM spokesperson here said that according to the survey 1,450 females and males executives would be “too happy” to have male bosses for this reason.

The respondents, two-thirds of whom were women, were averse to having a female boss because they felt that women approach work with more emotions than men and their concentration towards work is not complete because of familial responsibilities that more often than not keep them divided.

“As a result neither the assigned works are accomplished nor job satisfaction derived by females subordinates and on the contrary breeds among them a total discontentment,” the survey concluded.

For the remaining 32 per cent of the respondents, reporting to a male or female boss didn’t matter as much as the “nature” of the boss.

Of the male respondents, 41 per cent said men were more likely to be good leaders and 33 per cent of women agreed with the view. Three out of four women who expressed a preference said they would rather work for a man than a woman. A good percentage of both male and female employees seem to view their woman bosses as less decisive, more emotional and less authoritative in general. According to the survey, younger adults are likely to say they prefer a male boss if they were taking a new job. Aged 35 and older are at least twice as likely to say their preference for a new boss would be a man rather than a woman.

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