When women work for women, a different dynamic often takes over. Susan, a cashier in a Toronto auction house, says that she has explored friendships with some of her female bosses and feels she can rely on them more. While women may feel more at ease with a female boss, men often have to make concessions to the new working styles. Brian, a marine biologist, says, "It took me a couple of years before I felt comfortable enough to relax around a female manager. In fact, my relations with her were much more businesslike."

To some extent, the male-female differences come down to conflicting styles. One female vice-president discussed the time she burst into tears during a meeting. "Men think that tears are a nuclear weapon in a conventional war. They take exception to a woman crying, inferring that she's feeling unhappy or violated." The men failed to understand that what prompted her tears was not hurt but genuine rage. "When we cry, it's because we have all this valid rage that has no appropriate release." she says. "Women cry; men get relief by going on with the offense or by veiling their feelings to appear composed.

Deborah, president of a firm with its headquarters in Toronto, says that even if men do understand, they sometimes react differently to the identical information and to her cooperative management style.