It’s been a while since I’ve ‘mused,’ so hope you enjoy this new Marisa’s Musings… start it here and continue to read it (and comment about it) on ExecutiveMoms.com…
   
Who’s The (Best) Boss?

Recently, a friend shared with me the following wisdom (said tongue in cheek, its anti-PC-ness readily evident and acknowledged): “So just remember, here is the hierarchy of preference when it comes to having a boss: #1 (best case): straight man with kids, #2 married woman with kids, #3 gay man and #4 (last): single, driven woman without kids.”

I admit it, I laughed in the moment (even as I felt guilty that by doing so I was offering some amount of implicit agreement). In fact, as someone who believes in debunking the more divisive stereotypes about and between women, I feel funny even offering this little account here. Yet I’m sharing it– along with my immediate reaction to it– for a reason.
 
Here are the results of THREE recent large-scale surveys about gender preferences in the workplace:

  • While over half said gender makes no difference, three out of four women who expressed a preference said they would rather work for a man than a woman. (Work and Power Survey, 2007, Elle Magazine and MSNBC)
  • When asked if they would prefer a male or female boss, among those with a preference, both men and women picked a male boss roughly three times more often than a female boss. (Gender Issues in the Workplace Survey by Vault Inc.)
  • Of the women polled who had a preference, most said they would rather work for a man. (Lifetime Women’s Pulse, July 2007)

Three different surveys, together representing tens of thousands of opinions, coming together to form the same conclusion:

All of our positive advances in the workplace not withstanding, there is still something really wrong with the way women are perceived as executives. And what’s worse, many of us seem to be supporting those perceptions ourselves…

Read the entire Marisa’s Musings at executivemoms.com (and share your thoughts)
 
   
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