messy, I get it for a shrink. But, a dentist?? You don't talk to your dentist. That is just weird. Or doctors in general?
Ha! I don't know. I don't care what my dentist has under the smock. So I used a different example that I related to.
I could understand it though if you were an abuse victim, and felt a man messing around in your mouth was too intimate. But that still wouldn't have anything to do with whether a man or a woman is a better dentist. Just a personal preference.
Having had both a male and female Ob/Gyn, I prefer female. The females I have been to were definitely gentler and obviously that's a big factor in who I see to examine my lady parts. I'm sure there are plenty of ladies out there who would say the opposite.
I prefer a female massage therapist, too. I just feel more comfortable that way.
My family doctor and dentist are both male.
Hairdressers/manicurists/therapists...doesn't matter to me - generally, I seem to end up with females though.
As far as bosses, oy...that's a hard one. Unfortunately, there's a definite boys' club mentality in the corporation I work for and even more unfortunately, a number of the women I've worked for or with over the past decade have fallen prey to the fallacy that they have to be a ball-buster to appear competent. One of them started out so promising and who - wonder of wonders - treated everyone with respect; however, over time, the powers that be whittled that away until she, too, took on the Dragon lady persona. To her credit, she recognized it and got a better job in a better department where people understood you can be nice and still know your shit.
I recently got promoted by new lady boss and she has made it known, from the get-go, to me, along with the other folks who got promoted to this position, that yep, you're promoted but that she doesn't think we'll be successful. Yay??? The same lady boss who gets a twinkle in her eye when she hears references to her being a "bitch" and not from tears.
It's sad really. I just have to wonder what has happened to make someone feel/act this way. I worked for a number of male bosses (some with the same corp) and never had this but I do realize they don't have the same pressures women face. I have 20 direct reports and have had a similar amount report to me over the years and one of my main priorities is to ensure I don't perpetuate the dragon lady boss myth while simultaneously ensuring I'm not their doormat either.
So obviously, my experiences are coloring/prejudicing my views, but yeah, based on my experiences where 90% of the women I'd work for fit the stereotype and made much of my work experience miserable, I'd rather work for a man. Flame away if you see fit.