Most Secretaries I’ve interviewed over the past when asked whether they would prefer to work for male or female bosses, most often than not, male bosses get the most vote.

According to Suzanne Lucas, a recent study surveyed 142 legal secretaries, asking them who they would rather work for: A male partner, a female partner, a female associate or a male associate. Almost half (47 percent) said they had no preference. But, you would expect that at least some of the respondents would say they preferred to work for female partners (only a mere 3 percent said they would prefer to work for a female associate).

Why? Are women monsters to work for? Are men better bosses?

Geoffrey James, working with BNET ran an informal survey asking readers to share if they would rather work for a male or female boss. The survey results are below.

Would you rather work for a male or female boss?

•69% of men prefer to work for men

•76% of women prefer to work for men

•31% of men prefer to work for women

•24% of women prefer to work for women

Geoffrey didn’t offer a “no preference” option so we only know that these numbers apply to people who

1.Read this article

2.Felt inclined to vote and

3.Had a preference of gender

In other words, not scientific at all. Still, the more scientifically based legal secretary study certainly doesn’t contradict it. Among people with preferences, male bosses are preferred.

Why? The Legal Secretaries gave these reasons:

•Females are harder on their female assistants, more detail oriented, and they have to try harder to prove themselves, so they put that on you. And they are passive aggressive where a guy will just tell you the task and not get emotionally involved and make it personal.

•I just feel that men are a little more flexible and less emotional than women. This could be because the female partners feel more pressure to perform.

•Female attorneys have a tendency to downgrade a legal secretary.

•I am a female legal secretary, but I avoid working for women because [they are] such a pain in the ass! They are too emotional and demeaning.

•Female attorneys are either mean because they’re trying to be like their male counterparts or too nice/too emotional because they can’t handle the stress. Either way, their attitude/lack of maturity somehow involves you being a punching bag.

•Women lawyers have “an air about them.”

Geoffrey James’ commenters gave these responses:

•Regretfully for the most part of my career I have had female bosses but not great mentors/coaches/leaders. More specifically most of the males I have worked for have been great mentors/leaders empowering me to make my own decisions as often as possible for stretch and growth.

•I’m a man, FYI. I’ve worked for 2 women and 3 men in my career. The women were quite different, one older and Harvard-educated, the other very young and state-school educated. Both let their emotions get the best of them far too easily and had no strategic focus. They were like Labrador Retrievers chasing the brightest ball thrown this week.

•I’m a woman who prefers male bosses. (I had others report to me, yet I still feel this way.) Women tend to take things personally, (whether it is criticism, or the fact that underlings are not performing.) And emotions tend to interfere with the work environment. We’re just wired differently, to be nurturing, (sometimes too much so) and we have to remember we are dealing with adults in the workplace.

Do you agree or disagree? And do you have an experience to share?