Frauds, Fakes, Or Fabulous
Oct 21, 2008 6:47 pm US/Eastern
Study: Female Bosses May Cause More Stress
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
There's a new twist in the battle of the sexes. Job stress affects 40-percent of American workers but according to new research, you are likely to be more stressed out if your boss is a woman.
In the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada," Meryl Streep is that proverbial boss from hell. It's an exaggeration but a recent survey found that women with a female boss reported more psychological and physical distress than those who worked for a man.
One belief behind the survey results is the competitiveness that goes along with two women working together which can be challenging.
Others point to historical difficulties of women climbing the corporate ladder.
"We have expectations for bosses. Bosses are leaders, in command, strong, visionary," said Jan Shubert, Director of the Women in Leadership Program at Babson College.
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.
Some working women mistakenly expect a female boss to be an understanding friend and are disappointed when it doesn't happen.
"I thought this person was going to help me, guide me along and she's doing exactly what the guys have been doing," said Sheila Murphy.
So what should female employees do if they are stressed out because they have a female boss?
One suggestion is to sit down with your boss and ask what they're looking for and what their expectations are and to realize that at the end of the day, it is about the work.
Experts say it's only been 30 years since women started 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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