by Jasna Cameron

I was a young working mom, with a second child on the way, happily married and socially active, working as a subcontractor for a large, well-established company. My superior was a woman I admired immensely for being so successful at our age, rising fast through the ranks, and reaching the very top, in a male-dominated industry. Before she was promoted to the chief position, we socialized outside of work, attended yoga, grabbed quick midday lunches, and even attended a Lady Gaga concert together. At work, we shared our troubles and woes over coffee, resolved problems, and generally collaborated easily, with her communicating to me what needed to be done in a relatively stress-free and non-condescending manner.  All was going well until the day she called me into her office and, out of the blue, canceled my contract and gave me my marching orders. I was dumbfounded. What had I done?  Where had I gone wrong? A few days before this incident, she had attended my massive birthday party at our work premises, gave me a stunning birthday present, hugged me, and wished me all the best for my future. Then she took it all away and left me reeling.

Many of my colleagues (mainly men, I must add) offered their "professional" analysis of the fiasco. In their expert opinion, it was all my fault because: How could I shamelessly flaunt my husband in front of an unmarried woman? Why did I talk incessantly about my toddler while contentedly rubbing my pregnant belly in front of a woman who had no children? And lastly, how dare I throw such a fantastic party with all my friends right under her nose when all she had was her work?  Of course she would retaliate and take my job away from me.  My colleagues seemed surprised that I didn't see it coming. 

It was at this point that I became aware of the ‘Queen Bee’ syndrome. It is a real phenomenon with tons of scientific research behind it.

What is Queen Bee syndrome?

Queen Bee syndrome is a term used to describe women professionals who rise through the ranks and then alienate more junior women, because of the threat they pose to this newly achieved position.

They become heartless drones (like Meryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada) and pretty much make work utterly miserable for their female subordinates. Once they obtain power, these Queen bees exercise their might, not just through holding their female employees back, but also in some extreme cases, resorting to what can only be classified as harassment in the workplace.

Jennifer Aniston has also noted this phenomenon in her career.  She states that she is often treated worse by her female than male colleagues and recounts numerous instances where she was sidelined and bullied by women.

It turns out that this is a worldwide phenomenon, familiar to masses of women in the corporate world. To shed more light on this distressing phenomenon, University of Arizona professor, Alison Gabriel, conducted an extensive survey, analyzing workplace interactions between men and women. The study revealed that women are more likely to feel mistreated by their female colleagues than their male counterparts – as Jennifer Aniston experienced.

How does this affect employee wellbeing?

In collaboration with Marcus Butts from Southern Methodist University, Professor Gabriel emphasized the value of this research in its contribution to organizational management and highlighting its impact on individual employee's health.

Evidence emerged in three studies done by Professor Gabriel that companies face a greater risk of losing female employees who experience bullying by their female peers. For women who felt harassed by such behavior in the workplace, job satisfaction was very low, and as a result, they opted to leave their jobs. This phenomenon costs companies an estimated $14,000 per employee, which presents a significant problem for organizations!

I was very interested in the latter part of this research (the focus on the individual employee's health) because I was traumatized by the experience.  Being pregnant, I was already feeling ravaged by the rollercoaster of pregnancy hormones, and this incident played havoc with my emotional health.

Is the Queen Bee syndrome a myth? 

We must be aware that with the passage of time, and as women become more respected and recognized as equal to men in the corporate world, it has been seen that women actually help each other rise through the ranks.  In line with this assertion, Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and the founder of LeanIn.Org., and Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, find that the Queen Bee Theory lacks evidence.  They found that female employees benefited more when a woman rose to a chief executive position and would be promoted to senior ranks more quickly than when a man occupied the top job.  Furthermore, studies completed by Arghavan Salles (Md, Ph.D.) supported this finding.  He found that, while the Queen Bee Theory may have had more grounds in the past, support for the phenomenon is slowly diminishing.  His research focuses on gender equity, well-being, and the challenges women face in the workplace.

They concluded, somewhat reassuringly, that women create more opportunities for other women in business and politics. In the business world, for example, female executives' mentoring increased only if there were women in senior positions. Even in the challenging game of politics in Latin America, female presidents appointed 24 percent more female ministers to their cabinets between 1999 and 2013. 

These findings do not entirely negate that Queen Bee Phenomenon can still raise its ugly head. However, their research shows that it is not as common as we may have previously thought. They also found interesting reasons as to why this phenomenon exists. 

What causes the Queen Bee syndrome?

As Sandberg and Grant continue to explain, Queen Bees are not to be blamed for their reactions and are a product of inequality. As we know, in the past, the corporate world was dominated by men. Women in the business world who rose through the ranks were heavily influenced by the male-induced misconceptions of female weakness and inadequacy.

As a result, in fear of being marginalized in the same way, women who make it to the top fall victim to their own internalized insecurities after years of being battered by negative gender stereotypes. They distance themselves from their tribe in a desperate attempt to detach from those demeaning stereotypes which have held them back in the past.

We have to understand that this reaction is not only limited to women. It is how humans react to discrimination as members of a disadvantaged group. When we doubt our worth, we turn our backs on our own kind.

It is also common in racially and culturally diverse societies. Those few who reach the top fiercely guard that position if there is only one seat available. They also fear being accused of nepotism should they promote other members of their group.

How do you deal with Queen Bee syndrome?

Now that I had a bit more insight into what may have caused my own demise, I was more equipped to find possible solutions:

• Kathy Caprino, bestselling author and career coach, suggests that you nip it in the bud.  This method is more suitable if the female co-worker you are experiencing problems with is a peer and not a superior. This method is useful if, on picking up the first signs of a Queen Bee, you discuss it non-judgmentally and with positive language. For example: "I respect you and appreciate your input, but I have noticed this issue between us.  I want to work it out as I would like us to have a good working relationship.  What can we do to make that happen?" This approach allows all parties to create an adequate strategy to address the issue. If this does not seem plausible or doesn't work, approaching the human resource department or a superior may be the next appropriate step.

• Research on this phenomenon has raised significant awareness to highlight the problem in the corporate world.  It is now well-recognized, and many companies have designed policies to address this unsavory behavior in their ranks. Reframing the organizational culture more positively will help employees overcome these hurdles and guarantee sustainability and progress.  This approach includes making personnel aware of the Queen Bee phenomenon and providing training to help people adequately deal with it.  Paula Parfit, a business development executive, finds that one of the most successful strategies is a female mentorship program.  Successful pairings facilitate growth, strengthen professional relationships, encourage communication, and set an excellent example for the rest of the employees.  If you are experiencing these issues at work, you may suggest such a program to your human resource department.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although the Queen Bee phenomenon is still a common workplace occurrence, as time goes on women understand the importance of having other women at their side.   While it seems that more conclusive research needs to be conducted on the subject, this article has outlined practical strategies for coping with this phenomenon in the workplace.  Although my experience was difficult and could not be resolved, I realize that ultimately, all women benefit if we help one another. And another thing I know for sure is that when we rejoice in each other’s triumphs, we raise our women tribe to staggering heights.