For me, gender has little to do with it. I'm more comfortable working with intelligent people who are logical thinkers and not emotionally reactive. It doesn't matter whether the person is male or female.
One of the most emotionally reactive people I ever worked with was a grown adult who threw frequent tantrums, was very emotionally reactive, was considered a "brown-noser", and was deeply into office politics. This person happened to be a male. I was very uncomfortable around him and felt that I could never trust him.
Another person I worked with had a Dr. Jekyll/Mrs. Hyde personality. Every month like clockwork, she turned into the woman from hel_. She ranted, blew up over little things, had everyone walking on eggshells around her, and was very controlling. She had severe PMS. (Looking back on it, I think she needed to be on medication. This condition can be treated.)
I am most comfortable with people who respect others and expect respect in return. I like to work with people who are down to earth and like to "cut through the crap" and get things done. I also enjoy working with people who are very good at what they do - very competent and excellent leaders (regardless of title or position). It doesn't matter to me whether the person is male or female.
- Cindy K. Coffin     Training & Performance Consultant, Knowledge Manager, Content Developer


Well said, Cindy! It's about each individual, not gender.
- Laura Lingle


I've found that men and women of almost every culture can be congenial or difficult to work with, depending on their gender conditioning. Among my female English as a Second Language teacher colleagues there is a decided bias against certain "peasant" immigrant males, notably from Eastern European, Asian, Islamic and "Hispanic" backgrounds. My most disrespectful MCP (male chauvinist pig) student ever was a Bosnian Serb who would get up and walk out of the classroom periodically, strutting right in front of me (my dean and I suspended him, finally). An older teacher recounted horror stories of dealing with Saudis and Egyptians in the 1970s. As for colleagues, I avoid the pedantic, since, like cindy, I prefer the down-to-earth, but usually gender has little to do with functioning work relationships.
- Jean Waggoner    Certified Trainer at Center for Teacher Effectiveness


[...] I believe it depends more on the person's personality, not gender. Since most men I know are more easygoing than women, though, I responded "men." But I have made great friends with many women in the workplace, and most of the best bosses I've ever had were women. That being said, I've also had a couple of very nasty women bosses. Mostly, that's because they tried to act like a stereotypical man and not a woman. They were very negative, also. They did not reinforce positive behavior by being positive themselves.[...]
- Lisa Cunningham    Writer and Editor at Prose to Go

I, too, voted I'd rather work for a man, but I don't necessarily see that as a negative or an affront to feminism. I've had just as many 'bad' male bosses as female, but what I usually value in a male boss is how his directness/lack of emotionalism complements my working style. For me, the best boss is not only professional, etc., but is confident in his/her own ability. [...]
- Robin Enright    Visual Merchandising Consultant


The topic was discussed quite a few times where I was working before. But the polls seems true. Many of my female colleagues were comfortable working with men at work place. That depends much on the natural tendencies. May be your theory can back it up.
- Anirudha Mude (male)   Visual Effects Artist & 3D Generalist

While I am "more" comfortable working with women I work just as effectively with men. Perhaps it is because I have supervised many male dominated work groups or because I have 4 brothers ;-).[...]
- Rhonda Waters, Ph.D.     President - The Mutare Group, Speaker, Trainer, Author


I like working with anyone who is intelligent, asks good questions and makes good choices.
- Debra Zimmer     The Expert Marketing Coach, [LION]