Coworker preferences – where gender and generation collide
Posted On March 18, 2014
In December, the Pew Research Center released the results of a snap survey that asked whether individuals preferred to work with male or female co-workers. Whether politically correct or simply honest, the overwhelming majority (77%) expressed no preference. However, of those that did express a preference, males and females both stated a preference for working with males. But then they dug deeper and analyzed the responses by generation…
Interestingly, the survey indicated that Millennials are “significantly less likely to prefer working with male coworkers than other generations.” And Millennial men are nearly twice as likely to prefer working with mostly women than Millennial women.
Admittedly, this was a very simplistic survey – asking only three questions about personal preference and the perceived preference of others – yet I still find it intriguing that the youngest men in the workforce are the most interested in working with women. The survey doesn’t indicate whether that preference is for female peers (Millennial women) or all women (female bosses over male bosses), so the theories on why this could be are far ranging and could build on every gender stereotype known to man. But is there something inherently different with this generation, or is it simply an issue of age? I did not find any similar reports from previous generations, so for now we’ll just have to surmise. What are your thoughts?