EOP Logo

Equal Opportunity Publications
EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY
Equal Opportunity Cover
WOMAN
ENGINEER
Woman Engineer Cover
MINORITY
ENGINEER
Minority Engineer Cover
CAREERS &
the disABLED
CAREERS & the disABLED Cover
WORKFORCE
DIVERSITY
Workforce Diversity Cover
HISPANIC
CAREER WORLD
Hispanic Career World Cover
AFRICAN-AMERICAN
CAREER WORLD
African-American Career World Cover



Woman Engineer Magazine, launched in 1979, is a career-guidance and recruitment magazine offered at no charge to qualified women engineering, computer science and information technology students & professionals seeking employment and advancement opportunities in their careers.

This magazine reaches students and professional women engineers nationwide at their home addresses, colleges and universities, and chapters of student and professional organizations.

If you are a woman engineering student or professional, Woman Engineer is available to you FREE!


WOMAN ENGINEER

» Featured Articles
» Subscription Information
» Reader Survey
» Companies Actively Recruiting
Americans Still Prefer a Male Boss
 
In 1953, when Gallup first posed the question to members of the U.S. workforce ‘If you were taking a new job and had a choice of a male or female boss, which would you prefer?” 66 percent replied they would prefer a male boss. Just five percent answered they would prefer working for a woman.
 
Well, times have changed, but it’s not the 180-degree turnaround some might expect. In its most recent annual Work and Education survey, conducted August 2013, Gallup once again polled Americans to their gender preference if they were able to choose their boss. This time around, 35 percent answered they would prefer a male boss, while 23 percent answered a female boss was more to their liking.
 
The proportion of Americans who prefer a female boss has increased by 18 percentage points over the past six decades, while there has been a 31-point decline in the percentage who would prefer a male boss. Americans are also significantly more likely today than in 1953 to volunteer that they do not have a preference. Four in ten stated they don’t care about the gender.
 
The 23 percent of Americans who would opt to work for a woman is the highest in the history of Gallup’s asking this question since 1953, although it is essentially the same as in several previous surveys.
 
Fewer Americans today say they work for a female boss than a male boss, and this structural aspect of the workplace in turn likely affects their preferences. Among working Americans, 54% say they currently work for a man, while 30% work for a woman. Those who currently work for a woman are as likely to prefer having a female boss as a male one. This is one of the few subgroups of the population that does not tilt in the “male boss” direction. Those who currently work for a man prefer a male boss, by 35 percent to 17 percent.
 
Other key differences in preferences for male or female bosses across subgroups include the following:
• Both men and women prefer a male boss. More than half of men say the gender of their boss makes no difference, but those who have a preference favor a male boss by an 11-point margin.
• Women are more likely than men to have a preference, with higher proportions expressing preferences for each gender of boss, though women choose a male over a female boss by a 13- point margin.
• There are some differences by age, with Americans between 35 and 54 the least likely to prefer a male boss. Younger Americans are generally less likely to prefer a male boss.
• Political partisanship significantly predicts attitudes toward the gender of one’s boss, with Democrats essentially breaking even in their preferences, while independents and Republicans prefer a male boss.
• Americans of all education levels prefer a male boss, by margins ranging from seven to 14 percentage points.
» Feedback for the Editor
» Request Article Copy

All Content ©1996- EOP, Inc. Website by: Webscope