The nearly-successful campaign of Hilary Clinton and John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate have put the issue of the proverbial “glass ceiling” back on the front burner of the nation’s consciousness. Women are closer than ever to climbing to the top rung of power in our country and we are all being forced to confront any gender bias we might be harboring.
That bias might just show up in places where you wouldn’t expect it. Numerous polls have shown that women are more likely than men to express reservations about voting for a female president. It’s enough to make you wonder just whose hands are holding that glass ceiling in place.
And politics aren’t the only place where women may have some issues with other women in positions of authority. There are signs of disturbance in the workplace as well.
A new study done by Scott Schieman and Taralyn McMullen at the University of Toronto and published in the September edition of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior suggests that women are generally happier working for male bosses than female bosses.
Thousands of men and women who worked for either male or female bosses had their stress levels monitored in the survey, and the results showed that men experience about the same level of stress whether they are working for a man or a woman. Women, on the other hand, reported experiencing far more stress when working for female bosses.
The study offered no explanations as to why that would be the case, but I have my own theory, and since you’ve come this far you might as well read on and see what it is.
Stress is closely related to our emotional state, and men and women are very different creatures when it comes to how we deal with, and are affected by, our emotions. Women are much more complex than men in many ways, and that is certainly apparent when it comes to how we relate to other human beings on an emotional level.
Men, for example, generally deal with interpersonal conflicts by seeking to avoid them if possible or at least resolve them quickly and move on. Women, on the other hand, tend to demand more satisfying resolutions to disagreements and do not seem to be able to let go of conflicts nearly as easily as men.
What does that have to do with bosses and the work place? Well let’s face it – work is often an inherently stressful place. And if there is any sort of friction between you and your boss, the stress can quickly intensify.
Men tend to let such conflicts come and go rather quickly and forget them soon afterward. Disagreements between men and other men are resolved so quickly they can usually be measured in seconds. Conflict between men and women is somewhat more complicated, but most often the man either gives in or gives up, and the woman generally realizes the futility in a one-sided argument and moves on.
When two women are in the picture, conflict resolution is anything but simple. You have two emotionally complex creatures, one in a position of power over the other, who may hold on to disagreements over long periods and fight many subtle battles that never truly get resolved. No doubt it can become exhausting and frustrating.
Does that mean women shouldn’t work for other women? Of course not. It’s just an aspect of human nature we have to be aware of and deal with as best we can. Women work together and accomplish great things every day, and usually manage to avoid killing each other or having a stroke in the process.
And one day in the not-too-distant future I am sure we will see a woman in the White House. But she should probably choose a man as her running mate. That job is stressful enough as it is.
