According to the 61st annual Gallup Work and Education Poll, more Americans are likely to say they would prefer male bosses (33%) to female bosses (20%) in a new job. A larger percentage than either (46%) say it doesn’t make a difference to them. While women are more likely than men to say they would prefer a female boss, they are still more likely to say they would prefer a male boss overall. How does that compare to the first poll, conducted in 1953? Back then, 66% of Americans said they preferred a male boss. Only 5% said they preferred a female boss while 25% said it made no difference.

Men and women differ in their preference for male bosses vs. female bosses

In the history of the poll, the percentage of women who would prefer a female boss has never surpassed 30%. Currently, both genders would prefer a male boss, with 26% of men and 39% of women saying they would prefer a male boss if they were to take a new job. Men are more likely than women to say they have no preference — 58% mention this response, compared with 34% of women.

Various groups differ on boss gender preference

According to Gallup, younger Americans are slightly more likely than older Americans to prefer a female boss. Republicans are more likely to prefer a male boss (42%) to a female boss (16%), while Democrats break even between the two — 29% prefer male, while 25% prefer female.

What this means to your business

The gender of a boss shouldn’t matter. A decreasing percentage of workers show preference for one gender over another while an ever-increasing percentage say it doesn’t matter. Bottomline: Hire or promote the best person, no matter what their gender (or race, religion, etc.) for management positions.