Are Women Better Managers Than Men?

I read a New York Times article a few weeks ago that stated, “The Jury is In: Women Make Better Managers.” Is this true? Do women really have an innate gene or some learned behavior that makes them intrinsically more adept at managing others? Perhaps more importantly, is this really the competition in which we want to engage?

Prevailing stereotypes label men as rational, realistic and unemotional and women as warm, nurturing and appreciative. The author of the NY Times article wants us to believe that all women possess the “female” traits and that these traits are better. This doesn’t ring true in my personal experience. I have had outstanding male managers who display typical male traits. I have also had great male managers who display more of the stereotypical female traits. Hmmmmm.

This makes me realize two things:

1. Not all people agree on what traits make up a “better” manager.

2. All men do not possess the stereotypical “male” characteristics, just as all women don’t necessarily gravitate toward the branded “female” traits.

Perhaps it would be better if we just judged each manager as an individual rather than by gender. Some men are great managers, some are clearly not. The same is true of women. When we try to make judgments by using stereotypes, we are doing everyone, including ourselves, a disservice

The second point to consider is this: do women really want to wage the “which gender is better” war? While I would clearly like to level the playing field – with a backhoe perhaps – I don’t want to tilt it in our favor. I strive for equality, not superiority. If we try to prove that we are better than men, we lose – we become like those we are trying to change. If we can take gender out of our judgment of people, we all win.

By Erin Wolf