The opposition against female bosses

17 Jul The opposition against female bosses

“In 1985 at the end of the United Nation International Decade for women Ms Gold Oruh then of NTA did a programme in which she asked many women whom they will prefer as boss between a man and a woman? Most of the women interviewed preferred male bosses.”

Indeed, various studies favour males as more preferable bosses to females. That curiously is in spite of the many fine attributes of women. According to experts, perceived traits of female managers include being thoughtful, people-focused, relationship-focused, considerate, quiet, nice, helpful, pleasant, understanding, intuitive, emotional, creative, caring, empathetic, knowledgeable, cheerful, warm, empowering, patient, collaborative, and participative.

Reasons for the rap

There are reasons why women seem to get the rap. In a male-dominated society, where some people even come from cultures where a woman is not supposed to be seen or where her she belongs to the kitchen, it is difficult to believe that a female is the boss over many men, and women.

I have heard some angry male workers protest against perceived “oppression” of their female bosses by comparing them to their wives at home. I have heard men say, “I have your kind of woman at home,” to their bosses or said behind their bosses.

Leadership qualities are not gender-biased. In boardrooms, leaders, irrespective of sex, have set targets to achieve with the mobilization of staff towards a clearly-defined vision. Unfortunately, when female bosses show leadership qualities like strength, vision and assertiveness, they are accused of ruthlessness and disrespect. The men expect assertiveness of their female bosses to come with apology.

All professional women find themselves walking a tightrope between masculinity and femininity, and when people choose different approaches to how they walk the tightrope, conflict often breaks out. As a result of a certain level of bias, women need to provide more evidence of competence than men

Experts have discovered that women who act like their male counterparts in leadership positions are more prone to being disliked and cause stressful situations at work. They cite Hillary Clinton’s competitive style as an example. They said Senator Clinton was ill-advised in not being “herself,” particularly during the beginning of her campaign. Others say it was too late when she started showing her more human side.

For women to succeed, they have to be different, extraordinary, and not too emotional; that is, not “too feminine.” At the same time, women also need to be relatable and likeable.

This is suggestive of the stereotyping female bosses suffer. Research, including a 2011 study published in the journal Psychological Science, shows that women are held to different professional standards and that being a “tough boss” means something different for women than it does for men. Standards of behavior are uneven.

According to Gabriela Cora, an expert on the subject, a woman in power struggles constantly with finding an agreeable midpoint: her bosses, employees, or colleagues will call her aggressive when she’s asserting herself. Others will find her style robotic when she’s just focusing on the points she needs to address in an objective way.

Assertiveness, strategic approaches, and focused actions have been leadership qualities that are more traditionally attributed to males. Instead, many people feel more comfortable around women with a more traditionally female-style: a woman who smiles and mediates discord, a woman who will back off and never come off too strong in an argument, even if her point remains vague, or a woman who will show her sensitivity and seem to empathize with everyone’s feelings in spite of not getting the job done.

There are bad bosses

Complex! It is fair to conclude that all female bosses walk a tightrope between masculinity and femininity, and when people choose different approaches to how they walk the tightrope, conflict often breaks out.

I also like the conclusion of Dr Peggy Drexler. She says, “One thing is for certain: There are bad bosses–male and female. There are good bosses–male and female. Choosing a boss based on perception only serves to reinforce certain stereotypes. Focus more on what sort of employee you want to be before deciding what sort of boss you want to have.”