Double standard for bosses

Women in positions of authority at work are more likely to become depressed than their male counterparts, say researchers from the University of Texas, Austin.

The study, published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, included interviews with 2,800 middle-aged men and women from Wisconsin in 1993 and 2004, when they were ages 54 and 64, respectively, according to BBC Health. Participants reported about their level of authority at work and the number of days in the past week they felt depressive symptoms. When their jobs involved hiring, firing and influencing compensation, women were 9 percent more likely to report depression than women without authority. Meanwhile, men in similar positions were 10 percent less likely to have depressive symptoms.

The study’s authors noted that, when female bosses adopted typically masculine mannerisms, they were criticized for being unfeminine, yet colleagues wouldn’t consider them strong leaders if their womanly characteristics were strong.