Are Women Less Trusting of Bosses than Men? New Report says “Yes”
The majority of today’s U.S. workforce is comprised of women. And since research has consistently demonstrated that having women in top management positions correlates with financial success for organizations, retaining them is critical. Paying attention to what is important to women in the workplace can increase retention and in turn positively affect the overall health and viability of an organization.
A new report from the Center for Creative Leadership’s World Leadership Study conducted over the course of the recession shows that women have become less trusting of their bosses and co-workers than men, despite the fact that they remain more trusting of people in general.
The effects of the recession on trust seemed to be particularly profound for women. In the second quarter of 2008 (early in the recession), women’s trust in their bosses dipped to its lowest point in the two-year study, dropping from 61 percent who indicated they “trusted their bosses a lot” in the first quarter of 2008 to 42 percent in the second quarter of 2008. While women’s trust level dipped nearly 19 points, men’s trust level dipped only 6 points (from 58 percent to 52 percent) during that same time.
