Does the gender of your boss matter to you? Who we'd prefer to work for:
Bottom Line: Let's say you could choose the type of boss you'd prefer to work for...who would they be? Fifty or so years ago it was pretty clear. Until the late 1970's only about 5% of the population suggested that they'd prefer to work for a woman. That was explainable in part by only about a third of the workforce being comprised of women, but mostly different expectations along gender lines. Over the past 40 years women have become half of the workforce, often career oriented and have occupied C-Suites with regularity. Attitudes have also shifted as a result. The most common answer for the gender/ boss question - isn't a preference. That's probably for the best as it demonstrates a level of pragmatism for one's qualifications rather than gender identity biases.
According to Gallup's latest...
55% of Americans don't have a gender preference
23% would prefer to work for a man
21% would like to work for a woman
Each of those numbers represents a new record in the perception of gender in the workplace. By comparison when Gallup first asked this question in 1953, 67% of people wanted to work for a man and only 5% for women. Research has demonstrated that all male management structures produce lesser performance than those that include women (From Catalyst research in 2005 to Fortune & Credit Suisse's in 2015). It makes perfect sense to me. It's hard to have well-rounded decision making without having perspective that might be lacking without women contributing that perspective - especially in industries in which females are the targeted consumer of the product/service.