When it comes to being the big boss, the male gender continues to be the preferred species compared to a female counterpart calling the shots, according to a recent survey on 'Gender Preferences in Bosses'.

Forty five per cent of respondents of the survey conducted in eight metros, by TeamLease Services, leading staffing company, admitted that they preferred a male boss to a female one, while 24 per cent gave a thumbs up to women.

In Bangalore, the IT capital, only 12 per cent gave the thumbs up to a woman boss, while 48 per cent were of the opinion that men were better at this job.

In Kolkata, only 20 per cent cast their vote in favour of women. In Ahmedabad, 50 per cent of the city's respondents felt that males should be at the helm of affairs, to 40 per cent favouring women.

In New Delhi, 36 per cent were of the opinion that males make better bosses, while in Hyderabad only 8 per cent preferred female bosses, compared to 32 per cent preferring male bosses.

Seventy two per cent of female respondents in Hyderabad chose to remain neutral to the question of who makes a better boss.

In Mumbai, which has a higher number of female bosses compared to other cities, 60 per cent said they would not prefer their boss to be of the opposite gender.

Pune proved to be an exception with 70 per cent stating that they cared little if their boss was a male or female. It was the work that mattered.

Chennai and Kolkata saw some liberal thinking with 58 per cent in Chennai and 50 per cent in Kolkata preferring their boss to be of the opposite gender.

In Ahmedabad, 80 per cent of the city's workers felt that women fared better when it came to administrative, people management and target skills.

Bangalore encored the view with 87 per cent agreeing that women were better in administrative skills, while only 13 per cent voted for men on the issue.

Women power resurfaced in Hyderabad, with over 80 per cent rating women high on administrative, time management and mentoring skills compared to their male counterparts.

However, in New Delhi, women got the thumbs down in terms of decision making skills with 65 per cent feeling that women did not fare well in this department.

In Kolkata, 84 per cent of city's workers felt women are not capable of better business planning.

The survey revealed that the glass ceiling was still in place with many feeling that being a woman was often a hindrance to climbing up the career path.

In Ahmedabad and Bangalore 100 per cent of the respondents felt being a women constrained her from taking up senior level opportunities, while Delhi-ites did not see gender hindering them from taking up such higher responsibilities.

In Chennai 58 per cent opined that men have a better chance of getting ahead at their workplace and only 5 per cent felt that being a women constrains an individual from taking up a senior level opportunity.

In Mumbai, 54 per cent said that men had better chances of getting ahead in their careers.

In Hyderabad, 84 per cent have reported to a manager of the opposite gender, while in Kolkata 62 per cent have reported to male bosses. In Mumbai there was a 50-50 split between genders of bosses the respondents have reported to.

The survey was conducted with a sample size of 407 in the metros of Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Delhi.