Do men fear the 'perfume of female power'?

Orlaith Blaney, managing director, McCann Erickson

"Yes, some men are definitely intimidated by women in power. The reality is that there are couples now where the women hold more senior positions, earn more money and some men find that difficult to deal with. It's a bit of a 're-balancing' of what we have been used to in the past . . . The men who I have come across who are a bit intimidated by women tend to make a 'joke' out of your position; they aren't sure what to say when you are introduced as the boss. It doesn't feel good at all to work with a man who is intimidated by you - in fact, it's dreadful. You need a gender balance in business; we need to work together and collaborate better. Men intimidating women or men, women intimidating women: none of it works."

Josephine Feehily, Revenue commissioner

"When I meet a man I don't know whether it's my gender or my job that's the conversation-stopper. But that's a feature of meeting people generally - when I say I'm a Revenue commissioner, there's often a sharp intake of breath. In general, though, I think there aren't enough women in positions of power yet to be doing any real damage to the male psyche."

Gina Quin, chief executive, Dublin Chamber of Commerce

"These type of men are probably intimidated not just by strong women, but by other strong men; it's not really a gender issue. Women do have a different style of management, though: they tend to be more personable, yet in some ways more challenging - for instance, I think they can be more demanding of accountability from those around them. But in the end, it comes down to individual style."

Gina Quin's husband and stay-at-home dad Kevin Murphy

"Women are newly emergent in terms of power, yet some have yet to wear the trappings of power with ease. But this is a personality issue, not a gender one. It can be intimidating meeting powerful men and women - but only those who enjoy exercising their power . . . The modern way is to focus on careers to the exclusion of all else. Ambition and striving for excellence - that's good, but if it becomes a vital crutch, then you do question whether there's any benefit."

Maria Mahon, chief executive, www.IrishJobs.ie

"There is a type of woman in business who feels that she has to over-compensate for being a woman by being tough and assertive; that can be intimidating. But there's no need for this; you don't need to be tough or intimidating to reach the top. Younger Irish men have grown up with the norm of women in the workforce, so I do think we're seeing a more balanced approach now."

- Interviews by Fionola Meredith