Should we expect support from female bosses?

By Fatima Calderon

I mean this post as an actual question to (any) readers.

In a former job I asked my female boss to let me work more from home. She gave me a resounding no. This is a job where I had been consistently improving sales performance for the whole company during the previous five years. My bosses had frequently praised me for my work and productivity.

And this was a boss who herself had taken A LOT of time off and had worked from home too

to take care of each newborn or to pursue other personal projects. So I thought she could relate to my present circumstances (it wasn't a new kid), which had me taking a lot of time off (about 2 days per month but spread out as 2-4 hours each week) and had me under a lot of stress because of, in part, all the running around back and forth between home and the office.

I explained that I wouldn't be working from home every day, and I even offered to take a salary reduction to compensate for the flexibility. But she gave me a no even before I finished talking. She said it wasn't the image the company wanted to portray (I should had questioned what she meant because I suspect she meant she didn't want the other employees getting the wrong idea).

I quickly left the company after that and I am now happily working mostly from home –and to a male boss at that.

My question is, was I wrong to be shocked by that no and if I shouldn't have expected special support and understanding from my female boss.

Do any of you relate, have similar stories or advice on this regard?