Men threatened by female bosses - study

Male or female boss - how do you react? Photo / Thinkstock

Men feel threatened by having a female boss and react more aggressively as a result, according to a study.

Even those who apparently support gender equality behave differently with a female manager - and push for higher salaries than if their supervisor were male.

Italian scientists carried out a series of experiments looking at men in the workplace. The first involved 76 students, 52 male and 24 female, who were told they would negotiate their pay with a man or woman manager.

Their feelings were monitored by asking them to choose between words flashed up on a screen. Male participants were found to be more "under threat" when speaking to a woman, and demanded higher salaries than those speaking to a man.

However the attitude of women participants wasn't affected by the sex of their manager.

A second study of 68 males found they would split a large bonus equally with team mates of either gender - but would keep more for themselves if asked to share with a female supervisor.

Co-author Ekaterina Netchaeva, from Bocconi University in Milan, said: "Even men who support gender equality [at work] may see these advances as a threat to their masculinity, whether they consciously recognise it or not."

- Daily Mail