( CNN ) -- `` My last boss was a woman . All she did was micromanage everyone . '' `` Every woman boss I 've ever had was extremely passive-aggressive in their leadership . '' `` It ( was ) much easier being managed by a male because he did n't put up with the pettiness or the gossip . '' Sorry , ladies of the working world . Those are comments we received in response to my recent piece about how companies with more women in C-suites and corporate boards do better financially . But so many commenters said they absolutely preferred working for a man , we knew we had to explore the `` why '' behind that sentiment . Then this week , the Gallup organization added some numbers -- and fuel -- to the debate . ' I 'm not surprised ' In telephone interviews with a random sample of 2,059 adults , Gallup found that Americans still prefer a male boss over a female , with 35 % choosing to work for a man and 23 % saying they prefer women supervisors . It 's the highest-ever number recorded for women bosses since Gallup has been asking . When you compare these results to the 1953 responses -- that 's when Gallup first asked this question -- the gap has narrowed significantly . In 1953 , 66 % chose a male boss and 5 % picked a female one , a huge gap that has been reduced to a 12-point difference today . `` I think it 's great to see that trend , so I 'm very encouraged by it , but I 'm not surprised that it 's still a 2-to-1 ratio of people preferring to work for men than women , '' said sociologist and workplace consultant BJ Gallagher , who has written several books , including a best-seller on diversity called `` A Peacock in the Land of Penguins . '' Topping the list of reasons , according to Gallagher , is the fact that men still have more power in the workplace than women . `` If you had your druthers , you 'd rather work for somebody who has some influence , some power , some clout , some status and that 's true for men and women , '' Gallagher said . `` It trickles down so that if you work for a powerful boss , you 're a little bit more powerful . Your whole department is seen in a more positive light if the boss is a powerful ( and ) influential person , '' she said . 'How to Tell a Male Boss From a Female Boss ' In conversations with Gallagher and other experts , it 's clear another factor is at work -- the real stereotypes that exist about working for a woman . `` It 's an old stereotype that women may not be good bosses so when that happens , it sticks , '' said Susan Nierenberg , vice president of global marketing and corporate communications for Catalyst , a nonprofit focused on expanding opportunities for women in business . `` Because the stereotype is in the water , and there are fewer women leaders than men , you may remember the woman who treated you badly and say , 'Oh yeah , I remember her . ' And it reinforces the stereotype . `` Perception is not reality , and stereotypes are perceptions . '' Gallagher has created a list titled `` How to Tell a Male Boss From a Female Boss '' with examples of perceived gender differences -- `` A male boss is assertive ; a female bossy is bossy '' and `` A male boss is attentive to details ; a female boss is picky . '' Opinion : Are female leaders too cheerful for their own good ? `` There is a double standard , '' said Gallagher , who also wrote `` Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Other Women . '' `` The same exact behavior in a male boss is seen as a plus , and the same behavior in a female boss gets seen as a negative . '' For instance , Gallagher said if a male boss `` gets agitated and slams his fist down on the table and goes , ' I want this done by 3 o'clock this afternoon , ' everyone goes , 'Ooh , take charge kind of guy . ' '' If a woman does the same thing , Gallagher said , people are likely to say , `` Oh , what a bitch . '' `` So the same tone of voice , the same words , the same body language , the same everything gets filtered through our stereotypes and assumptions about how various groups should behave , '' she said . The 'token woman ' issue . Fueling the stereotypes , Gallagher and leaders from Catalyst said , are environments with few women in leadership positions . `` When there 's going to be a token woman , one woman is going to make it to the top , what does this do ? '' said Ilene Lang , president and CEO of Catalyst , during an interview last month . `` Does that encourage anybody to support women ? Does it encourage women to support other women ? It 's a culture that will encourage women to fight with other women or to discourage other women . '' But when the culture of the organization focuses on mentorship and sponsorship , and there are more women in leadership positions , that `` Queen Bee myth '' of women not helping women gets busted , Lang said . In fact , a report by Catalyst found that 73 % of women who received career development support are helping to support and develop other women , versus 30 % of men . `` Our research shows that women not only sponsor and support other women , but that they do other men as well , and they really do pay it forward to a huge amount , '' Lang said . That 's been the experience of Karen Shaer , one of the women I profiled last month . Shaer is senior executive vice president and general counsel of the legal services firm Garden City Group , where eight of the company 's 15 executives are women . `` It could be that some women tend to be more critical , but I have n't seen that , '' Shaer said . `` I 've seen more of the efforts for women to be supportive of other women . '' The mom of two said , `` It 's infectious . When women help other women , then the women they help ( have ) a role model in that regard . And then ... if ( they ) develop and grow into a position of power or authority , I expect they will be more likely to turn around and treat someone that way . '' ' I 've had good experiences with both ' Shaer , a former federal prosecutor , said she does n't have a preference -- she 's had good experiences with female and male bosses . `` I 'm looking more for qualities that can be shared by men and women , '' she said . `` I 'm looking for someone who 's a good communicator , who 's going to be someone who is a good teacher , as well as be supportive , someone who is open to giving opportunities for growth and development and that can be provided by a man or a woman . '' Complaints we saw from readers that women micromanage , hold grudges and are unable to make decisions did n't reflect Shaer 's experience , she said . `` Maybe I 've just been blessed with very good bosses , supervisors , '' she said . `` It has not been my experience that women do those things . I think my experience maybe has been contrary to that . '' When I asked an unscientific sampling in my Facebook community about the new survey 's findings , I received a handful of responses , the majority with positive comments about working for women . `` With one notable exception , all my great bosses have been women , '' said Kim Kennedy , a television news producer in New York . `` The best ones are collaborative and intuitive , give you some room to accomplish things beyond your assignment or job description , and many have been good mentors as well . '' On the other side is Joy Lipkin , a college educator in New York who also works with young special-education students . `` Men are more straightforward , less emotionally attached ( I mean this in a good way ) , '' Lipkin said on Facebook . `` Women hold grudges and seek vengeance on their subordinates . That 's been my experience . '' A father of two who did n't want to use his name said he reports to two women now who are `` so much nicer '' to work with than the male supervisors in his last job . But he added , `` I think , overall , it just depends on the individual people . '' I agree . The most horrible boss I 've had in my career was a woman . The most amazing , mentoring and supportive boss I 've had was also a woman . I 've also had good and bad male bosses . So , like Shaer from the Garden City Group , I do n't have a preference . My current boss is a woman , so , of course , these days , I lean in that direction . Do you prefer a male or female boss ? Share your thoughts in the comments , or follow Kelly Wallace on Twitter , and like CNN Living on Facebook .
After a Wikipedia column on women and work , many commenters said they prefer working for men . New Gallup survey finds more Americans still choose a male boss , but the gap is narrowing . In survey , 23 % said they preferred working for a woman , the highest percentage in study 's history . A double standard contributes to the gender gap , say experts on women in the workplace .