Brits prefer men on top

Whilst nearly half of Brits don’t mind whether their boss is male of female, over two thirds of those that do care prefer a male boss, says the latest Monster Meter.
London, 28th October 2003 - Nearly three and half thousand Brits took part in the latest Monster Meter, which asked Which would you prefer to work for: a male or female boss.

Of the total 3,451 Brits that voted:
43% (1,482) don’t mind
39% (1,334) prefer a male boss
18% (635) prefer a female boss

Of the 1,071 men that voted:
60% (639) prefer a male boss
40% (432) prefer a female boss

Of the 898 women that voted:
77% (695) prefer a male boss
23% (203) prefer a female boss

Voters who claim they do not have a preference when it comes to the gender of their boss would perhaps argue that gender is irrelevant and what counts is being able to get the job done. However, the Monster Meter shows that the majority of Brits who expressed a preference stated that they would prefer a male boss - 77% of female voters and 60% of male voters. These percentages mirror the overall European results, which surveyed 24,446 people in total.


So why are male bosses favoured so much more than female bosses by both sexes? It could be argued that Europeans have greater experience of working for men than women, and therefore automatically prefer it. But men and women bring a different skills set to the workplace. Men are said to be more direct communicators and tend to achieve a result more quickly than women, regardless of whether it’s a better result. However, men are perceived to lack the ’soft skills’ that women have.

On the other hand, women are said to ’multi-task’ far more effectively than men, and though they are better at dealing with sensitive issues in the workplace, they are more prone to reacting to situations personally rather than objectively.

As the glass ceiling continues to show cracks, people will become more and more accustomed to seeing women in positions of power, comments Joe Slavin, managing director of Monster.co.uk. In order to climb the career ladder themselves, it’s important for people to rise above preconceptions and establish a healthy and professional working relationship with their boss.

Steve Lyward, management consultant, says I definitely prefer working for male bosses - that’s not to say that the women bosses I’ve had in the past haven’t been good at what they do, I just think that men communicate better with men and get the job done quicker.

Julia McKenzie, City secretary, says I’ve had good working experiences with both male and female bosses - but in a way I find working for a man easier. They can be more direct in giving instructions than women, and easier to read - women can be more unpredictable. Also, it’s not so hard to manipulate a male boss if you want to take a long lunch break or leave early!

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster users in Europe 29th September - 13th October 2003. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster, the leading global online careers site and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: MNST), is a series of online polls that gauge users’ opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. Anyone interested in voting in Monster’s current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster.com at www.monster.com and selecting your local site.

About Monster.co.uk
Monster.co.uk is the local content and language website for Monster, the leading global career portal on the Web. With over 1 million unique visits per month, Monster.co.uk connects the most progressive companies with the most qualified career-minded individuals, offering innovative technology and superior services that give them more control over the recruiting process. The Monster global network consists of local sites in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg as well as the United States, Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong and India. For more information see www.monster.co.uk