Is ‘Queen bee’ syndrome killing female ambition?

Abi Rosen
Abi Rosen
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimised by a female colleague? (credit — Mean Girls)

If your female boss or senior colleague puts you down, makes demeaning remarks, addresses you in an unprofessional manner or is just plain rude, they’re most likely suffering from ‘Queen bee’ syndrome.

Queen bee syndrome dates back to studies in the 1970’s describing women in a position of power, who view or treat female subordinates more critically. Most commonly these characteristics were seen in women who were successful in a male-dominated environment.

In the wild, queen bees are deemed the most important bee in the colony and without the queen bee, the whole hive will be eventually doomed. With this in mind, I bet you can think of a few women who can relate to this persona…

As an ambitious female, I have come face to face with many ‘Queen bees’ in the workplace but also witnessed their sting on less confident employees, and every time I question, why are women so threatened by each other?

There are many studies and theories on why Queen bee syndrome exists in the workplace, but the most common response is that men are to blame… I’m not a feminist but I definitely believe there is more pressure placed on women in management. Not by men, but by the belief from women that we still have to prove our worth.

Some studies even suggest that women believe they have to be aggressive to make it in a ‘man’s world’ and must ‘fight to keep their place at the top, or risk losing it to a man’.

Well if this is the case, then why aren’t women being hostile towards men? If men are the issue and threatening their seniority, why do women belittle other women and set out to hinder their progress?

In my experience, there are two main reasons that women act like Queen bees, and it has nothing to do with ‘sexism’ in the workplace.

1) Women are too emotional under pressure

When placed under pressure, you have two options — thrive or survive. Women have a reputation of being more emotional than men (which is completely out of our control) but crying when under pressure isn’t the only emotional response available.

Everyone reacts to stress and pressure in different ways, but commonly a ‘Queen bee’ will react in a cold and dismissive manner. They give the illusion of thriving when they have in fact gone into survival mode. They are dismissive in an attempt to appear unphased and they are abrupt and rude because they unable to remain calm and process information clearly.

2) Lack of self confidence

A lot of young female managers (I refuse to use the term ‘millennial’), have been quickly boosted into a position of power and suddenly find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Just because someone is ambitious and excels at their role, does not mean that management responsibility is a suitable reward.

Managing people is probably one of the hardest roles you will ever have and it is therefore critical that you educate yourself on best practice. Anyone who refuses to undergo management training is most likely a Queen bee.

An inexperienced (and insecure) manager is more likely to micromanage their employees and actively seek opportunities to assert their authority. As a manager you should never feel threatened by your employee’s capabilities. If you are concerned that your employee will take your your role, you need to address your own performance.

It’s important to remember that an ambitious employee isn’t always a confident one. They excel in the workplace, remain calm under pressure and have a clear progression plan in mind, but when an employee is repeatedly belittled and treated poorly, they will lose confidence in their abilities and their ambition will fade away.

If the Queen bee continues to sting, businesses are at risk of losing valuable employees and if we’re not careful, female ambition will become extinct.

Abi Rosen

Written by

Abi Rosen

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