Oct 20, 2008 10:55 pm US/Eastern
Female Bosses May Cause More Stress
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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A recent survey found that women with a female boss reported more psychological and physical distress than those who worked for a man.
WBZ
Job stress affects 40 percent of American workers, but are you likely to be more stressed out if your boss is a woman?
New research shows the answer might be yes.
A recent survey found that women with a female boss reported more psychological and physical distress than those who worked for a man.
On the streets of Boston, WBZ asked why. "The competitiveness that goes along with two women working together is a little bit challenging," said one woman who wanted to remain anonymous.
Others point to the historical difficulties of women climbing the corporate ladder.
Jan Shubert is the director of the Women in Leadership program at Babson College. "It's back to that 'I have to be perfect. I have to be perfect.'"
"We have expectations for bosses," explains Shubert. "Bosses are leaders… in command… strong, visionary, which women are."
But society also stereotypes women as being nurturing, calm and collaborative. The result: "When the boss looks different, sounds different, behaves differently than we expected… then the stress level goes up," said Shubert.
10 Ways To Reduce Stress At Work Taking Charge Of A Stressful SituationSome working girls mistakenly expect a female boss to be an understanding friend, and are disappointed when it doesn't happen.
"What do you tell a female employee who is stressed out because the have a female boss?" asked WBZ's Paula Ebben.
"I would certainly encourage young women to sit down with their boss and ask what they're looking for and what their expectations are and to realize at the end of the day, it is about the work," said Sheila Murphy of the Center for Women & Enterprise.
Experts say it's only been 30 years since women starting sitting at the head of the corporate table, and as the number of female bosses goes up, stress levels will go down.
The study, conducted by the University of Toronto, also found that men had the same amount of stress whether they worked for a male boss or a female boss.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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