Two thirds of women prefer working for male bosses because they are better managers and less prone to moods, a study has suggested.

Many female employees also like having a man in charge because they are 'more authoritative' and 'more straight-talking' than their female counterparts.

Women rated men 'tougher', 'better at delegation' and also more likely to regularly dish out praise.

And men were also hailed as being better decision-makers and having more grasp of the business overall than women do.

It also emerged four out of ten women who have female bosses believe they could do a better job than their immediate superior.

The study of 2,000 women in full or part-time employment asked whether they would prefer to have a man or woman as their immediate line manager.

Some 63 per cent expressed a male preference, while only 37 per cent opted for a woman.

The results also revealed one in six women who currently work under a woman is experiencing 'underlying tension' between themselves and their boss.

A host of reasons emerged for the male preference including a feeling female managers felt threatened by other women at work.

A failure to leave personal problems at home was also cited.

Other issues included a lack of flexibility over leaving early or starting late.

But despite the worries, female bosses did score highly on the more personal side of the manager/employee relationship.

They were revealed as being approachable, more trustworthy and more compassionate in a member of staff's time of need.