Why Do Women Prefer Male Bosses? | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Women are less satisfied with their jobs when reporting to a female boss, while men show no difference in job satisfaction based on their supervisor's gender.

Key Insights

• 🤦‍♀️ Women may have developed cooperative relationships with unrelated same-sex women under conditions of symmetry to navigate challenges faced by their ancestors.
• 🥺 An asymmetry in power and resources can lead to exploitation or one-sided resource extraction in cooperative relationships.
• 🥺 Men's involvement in coalitionary contexts, such as warfare, may have led to a preference for asymmetries in power for group success.
• 👥 Role specialization and a clear chain of command facilitate coordination in group-based activities.
• ✊ Women's same-sex relationships may be more affected by deviations in power and resources in modern contexts.
• 🥺 Men's success in coalitionary contexts led to reproductive benefits, survival, and status rewards.
• 🍉 Men's coalitional nature benefited everyone overall in terms of survival and reproduction.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: Why do women report lower job satisfaction when reporting to a female boss?

This can be attributed to the challenges faced by female ancestors, where forming cooperative relationships with non-kin was more difficult. Women preferred relationships with equal power and resources.

Q: Were men affected by the gender of their boss?

No, men did not show any difference in job satisfaction based on their supervisor's gender. Men's historical involvement in coalitionary contexts and group-based activities may explain this.

Q: How did the differences in job satisfaction relate to ancestral behaviors?

Women may have formed cooperative bonds with unrelated same-sex women under conditions of symmetry. Deviations in power and resources may have led to conflict and corroded relationships.

Q: Why did men benefit from asymmetries in power and resources?

Men's involvement in coalitionary contexts, such as hunting and warfare, required strong hierarchies and role specialization for success. Asymmetries in power facilitated organization and cohesion in these group-based activities.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Women in the study reported lower job satisfaction when reporting to a female boss, while men did not show any difference in job satisfaction based on their supervisor's gender.

• This may be linked to the challenges faced by female ancestors, where forming cooperative relationships with non-kin was harder.

• Women may have formed cooperative bonds with unrelated same-sex women under conditions of symmetry, preferring relationships where they were of equal power and resources.