Male vs female manager

[the game]

So I've been in the working world a long time and have noticed clear difference in leadership styles between male and female advisers/managers. All of the male advisers I've had over the course of my life have always been pretty laid back and was content letting people just do their jobs. However most of the female advisers I've had have been really controlling. They literally have to control everything in the work place and alot of them played favorites games. I don't know if this is typical for female advisers as I have had some that aren't this way. Just a good many of them. Do you guys have similar experiences?

I would love to know if this is common.

[Deleted]

Can't draw a statistic with few data points, but the only one doing micro-managing was male.

[Gorehowl]

women being controlling and causing drama? never heard that one before.

[Deleted]

I'd say it's just random and you had bad luck. Most managers who let their people do their job as long as it gets done started working lower ranked themselves, it's people who start in a higher position that usually are uptight and are control freaks because they don't have clue how it is to be bossed around.

I suppose female managers are more likely to have started higher up since they in the past there were less female workers in general, it's gonna even out as time goes on though.

[Notter]

I only had 2 female managers in my life.
first one - in a minimum wage job - was not unkind, but was pretty controlling.
2nd one - in a programming job, always helped me in whatever i needed and never pushed or annoyed.

So... i would say it doesn't have anything to do with gender, but with the person.

[zenkai]

So I've been in the working world a long time and have noticed clear difference in leadership styles between male and female advisers/managers. All of the male advisers I've had over the course of my life have always been pretty laid back and was content letting people just do their jobs. However most of the female advisers I've had have been really controlling. They literally have to control everything in the work place and alot of them played favorites games. I don't know if this is typical for female advisers as I have had some that aren't this way. Just a good many of them. Do you guys have similar experiences?

I would love to know if this is common.

Not always, but that's been my general experienced for the most part but only in low paying jobs.

I had this female store manager that loved me at first but then totally hated me and became every controlling after I refused to serve undercooked Roast beef at Arbys, she was the only boss I had that didn't like me. She was so hell bent on hating me that I will never forget the time I was filling up a mop bucket and the owner walked up to me and started talking to me about sports. I can give 2 shits about sports, and I was continuing working while he talked to me. She ran up on me and started bitching me out for talking, and he sat there and said nothing. I always had my suspicion those 2 where screwing.

[Deleted]

I employ a female manager and what I love about her is how professional she acts compared to some male managers (Ratio 1/3).

I would say that at least in their 20's and 30's, female workers are very serious and very driven. Man are easier distracted and often less "mature" and don't even come near the level of ambition and commitment.

[Nanaboostme]

Gotta factor in more than just your personal experience and relationship with your male/female bosses. It's ultimately the person not sex. From my own, its been vice versa.

[Wildtree]

So I've been in the working world a long time and have noticed clear difference in leadership styles between male and female advisers/managers. All of the male advisers I've had over the course of my life have always been pretty laid back and was content letting people just do their jobs. However most of the female advisers I've had have been really controlling. They literally have to control everything in the work place and alot of them played favorites games. I don't know if this is typical for female advisers as I have had some that aren't this way. Just a good many of them. Do you guys have similar experiences?

I would love to know if this is common.

I'm pretty sure that this depends a lot on the job field/industry...

[Deleted]

I employ a female manager and what I love about her is how professional she acts compared to some male managers (Ratio 1/3).

I would say that at least in their 20's and 30's, female workers are very serious and very driven. Man are easier distracted and often less "mature" and don't even come near the level of ambition and commitment.

Where do people get this? I've had both and both acted immature and/or professional.

[Notter]

I would say that at least in their 20's and 30's, female workers are very serious and very driven. Man are easier distracted and often less "mature" and don't even come near the level of ambition and commitment.

this might be true.
but i'm not sure if that's always a good thing being super ambitious, and always a bad thing being less mature.
that is, as long as your goals are accomplished.

[Deleted]

I'm pretty sure that this depends a lot on the job field/industry...

Also on the degree the person has, previous job experience, they did start as a manger or did they start at the bottom, do they get respect, are the rules followed or do people keep messing up forcing them to be controlling, etc

You can't view this as black and white.

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this might be true.
but i'm not sure if that's always a good thing being super ambitious, and always a bad thing being less mature.
that is, as long as your goals are accomplished.

Exactly, overly driven people are hated in general. The job has to get done, and someone doing extra stuff puts pressure on people who just want to get the job done.

[Etheric]

Personal experience: younger managers tend to show some gender difference in their shortcomings, but as they gain experience, it goes away.
(in IT field anyway)

[Jibjub]

I work in advertising. Without a doubt it's easier to work with men, whether it's within the agency or it's the client.

Are the women smart and talented and great people? Yes! But are they, usually, much more difficult to work with? Also yes.

I am a man. And that's my anecdote.

- - - Updated - - -

Personal experience: younger managers tend to show some gender difference in their shortcomings, but as they gain experience, it goes away.
(in IT field anyway)

I would agree with this, as well. Our executive-level female leaders are all really pretty awesome and great to work for.

[Enthusiastic Steward]

I haven't had a consistent personality type among managers/supervisors across gender one way or another. I will say that during and fresh out of college when I was still working food service before landing in my current career most of the incompetent managers I had were male.

[EventHorizon]

I've had 3 female managers and 4 male managers working in IT over the years. 4 for the same position.

The one time I would say gender was related to a problem was when my V-P and manager were very controlling and "yell first, ask questions later" types of people with my Director being a man who couldn't or wouldn't do anything to try and challenge them when it was appropriate as he only focussed on his career.


Other than that, they varied wildly in personalities and attitudes/management styles, some of the male ones were also very controlling and prone to mood swings - one to the point of kicking his phone at the window once... it's not just a woman thing in my own experience.

One of my best and most supportive/involved V-P was a woman and she was very good with both people and business.

[Deleted]

Being ambitious is good. What isn't good is that some managers can't see the difference between that and being pushy.

Being able to motivate people without antagonizing them is the hearth of the Manager profession and there are simply people which cannot do that.

[ItachiZaku]

I've had the opposite experience for the most part. Probably 4 female managers, only 1 was more controlling - more rules stickler. Males more like 50% were.

[Gryphoon]

My female managers have been pretty laid back. My current one let us set the schedule between ourselves, the employees. However, what I've noticed is that most female managers don't really give feedback at all to employees, especially negative. You won't know if you're doing something the wrong way until it's too late. I'm not sure if it's because they can't handle confrontations.

[Independent voter]

All the male managers I've had were assholes, yelling, stressing everyone out, etc.

The two female managers I had were pretty good but I know they got exasperated at times with me.