Men vs women: Who’s bossing around?
The glass ceiling can stay ‘unshattered’. High-achieving women have a new enemy to watch out for. No, not the backroom boys and their networking; but the women in their staff. A survey by Assocham says 68 per cent of those who were polled want male bosses. Interestingly, two-third of this number comprised women. And here you thought wom-en and their kitchen politics was limited to a certain Miss Kapoor and her saas-bahu soaps! DT opens the debate and asks which gender of boss people prefer, and comes across a true gender-bender.
It’s a man’s world
Blame it on our patriarchal society, conditioning of centuries or any other psychological hocus-pocus, but most do want male bosses! Arnika Sinha, a banker, says, “Male bosses are more sensible, less reactive and think practically. They don’t work on impulse and emotions. Women bosses feel their personaopinion of you matters as much as their professional one.”
Men are also batting for male bosses. “I would prefer a male boss because as a guy, you also have a comfort level with him. Also, women are emotional as bosses. Men are faster in taking decisions, quicker in disposing off their assigned jobs and much more focused. They give you functional autonomy,” says Vaibhav Singh, an IT pro.
But why is a woman’s emotional quotient, otherwise seen as her strength, considered a negative point in the office sphere? Adman Shivjit Kullar explains, “If your father is angry about your coming home late, he would blast you about it. But if it’s your mom, then it will be about your coming late, your wearing that particular shirt, your hairstyle, your eating habits and so on so forth. A male hits with one dart and a woman has this habit of using multiple shots at a time.”
Women on top
Author Advaita Kala, whose book said that you get female bosses in two avatars – maa and chandi maa is all for the female of the species as a boss. “Women make much better bosses – they are more nurturing and considerate. Develop a good relationship with them and
Neelabh
you would see that they have the power to understand you really well.”
Barinder Ranhotra, the operational head of a BPO, adds, “Female bosses have that sense of consideration and understand emotional needs better than men.”
A boss is a boss is a boss
Abhilasha Srivastava, the HR head of a training company, feels it is pointless to do comparisons of your boss on basis of the gender. “It is not about the gender, but the qualifications and the ability to carry out your duties. If you are a fair and impartial person, your gender really doesn’t matter,” she says.
Shivjeet feels the same, but with a twist. “Women are definitely much better bosses. They smell good and even look hot when they are angry. But honestly, the gender of the boss in this unisex age is immaterial.”
FEMALE BOSSES ARE…
Considerate and nurturing Suspicious of other
women Too confident and aggressive
Catty, indecisive and emotional.
MALE BOSSES ARE…
Likely to give more functional autonomy Focused and faster in decision-making Too assertive Have preconceived notions of the leader image
karuppurojakkal 