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Female bosses are more likely than males to be depressed. In many ways, breaking gender norms to get into positions of power can be stressful for women. A new study out this week has found that the added stress is taking a toll. “In men, authority, such as the ability to hire and fire people, decreases depressive symptoms, the study said.” But the opposite was true for women. “When the job included hiring, firing and influencing pay, women were predicted to have a 9% increased rate of depressive symptoms over women without authority. Scientists also said men were more likely to decide when to start and finish work than women and were less frequently monitored by their advisers.” According to the researchers, “female bosses had to deal with interpersonal tension, negative social interactions and stereotypes, prejudice, social isolation, as well as resistance from subordinates, colleagues and superiors. Women were often trapped by the gendered notion of a good leader. When women adopted traditionally masculine behaviors as leaders they were criticized for being unfeminine, yet colleagues would not believe the women were good leaders if they saw only their feminine characteristics.” According to the researchers, the key is to accept the way women lead as a new form of leadership, rather than forcing them to fit into male norms.
