SINGAPORE (Oct 12): Seventy-six percent of Singaporean employees prefer to work for a male direct manager, exceeding the global average of 65%, according to Randstad’s global Q3 2016 Workmonitor report.

Regional peers had similar preferences, with 78% of Hong Kong employees and 73% of Malaysian employees preferring a male boss.

Globally, Japan and Greece had the strongest preference for male bosses at 80%.

Incidentally, women themselves had a strong preference for male direct bosses. 74% of Singaporean women, 74% of Hong Kong women and 63% of Malaysian women preferred a male boss, and exceeded the global average of 58%.

The Randstad Workmonitor quarterly report surveyed employees in 34 countries worldwide, with a minimum of 400 respondents per country. The quantitative study is conducted through an online questionnaire and covers people aged between 18 and 65 who work a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job.

Randstad notes that the preference for male bosses in the workplace perpetuates the gender gap, even as annual pay for women only just caught up with their male counterparts’ salary of 10 years ago, based on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report in 2015.

However, despite the actual pay gap, 79% of employees globally believe that men and women in similar roles drew equal salaries. The same perception featured among 81% of Singaporean and Hong Kong employees, and 83% of Malaysian employees.

Michael Smith, managing director for Randstad Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, notes the trend was “worrying” despite the worldwide discussions of gender equality.

However, he believes that sentiment will change when traditional family structures with the men as sole family breadwinner start to erode.

“Corporate and government initiatives are just a start, but for real change to take place, the issues around gender equality need to be recognised and mindsets need to evolve,” he concludes.