Lift IOWA readers no strangers to queen bee syndrome

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A majority of readers who responded to a survey in a recent edition of Lift IOWA say they have witnessed “queen bee” behavior, or women who refused to help other women in their careers.


We asked readers to share their experiences surrounding queen bee syndrome following the publication of an opinion piece by Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook Inc., and Adam Grant, author and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. In the article, the pair posited that the notion that powerful women — queen bees — block other women’s progress,   statistically, may not be prevalent.


Despite the pair’s statistics, a majority of the two dozen respondents to our poll said they have witnessed “queen bee” behavior.


Comments from respondents include:


“It was in the 1978-1984 time frame. This was typical behavior for the time. I’ve not seen it since. Many positive experiences in my career with my female colleagues.”

? Laurie Battaglia, CEO and workplace strategist, Aligned at Work


“I’ve worked primarily for male-led organizations. In a recent role, the “number two” was a female who publicly tried to indicate she advocated for women. In reality however, she was the first to put another woman down or suggest that her female colleagues were more style than substance and did everything in her power to keep her position of leadership from other females. She was/is very threatened by other strong and smart women. She is the primary reason I chose to no longer work for my former employer.”

? Anonymous, manager, age 36-50


“I have had several female bosses that operate primarily on the premise that other females take attention away from them, so they purposely diminish the achievements and contributions of other women.”

? Anonymous, owner/president, age 36-50

About 87 percent said they have never participated in queen bee behavior, while 13 percent admitted they have.


Comments from respondents include:


“I definitely … have not always been mature or confident enough to verbalize a compliment when another woman has been successful. I am now mature enough to applaud others successes without feeling it takes away from my own. Also I am very excited to recognize people in general who work hard and achieve what they want to achieve! I find it vital to really acknowledge people’s efforts!”

? Anonymous, serving in public office, age 36-50, answered yes


In my sorority in college, it was survival of the fittest. One day a feminist (male professor) discussed in length the ‘queen bee’ theory and reminded the women in the room that “you are not in competition with each other, you are in competition with the world, so why are you focusing on your own gender, which has years of being held back?” It was a breakthrough moment for me.”

? Anonymous, manager, age 18-35, answered yes


Another factor that plays into queen bee syndrome, Sandberg and Grant wrote, is adverse consequences women may face when they advocate for other women. In our poll, 42 percent said they faced negative consequences when they advocated for other women, while 58 percent said they did not.


Comments from respondents include:


“I’ve been accused of promoting women simply because they are women, not for their competence. Not true, but the accusations were made ? both subtly and directly.”

? Mary Kramer, president, Kramer & Associates


“I specifically advocated for two women at two separate jobs. One was for a well-deserved promotion and one was for a raise. I was called out in a management meeting by the CFO in a staff meeting for suggesting “budget busting promises.” This was after she and the entire management team had just accepted 10 percent raises during a recession and had preserved their own 401k contributions while cutting it off for rank and file employees.”

? Anonymous, owner/president, age 36-50  


“Thankfully I have not experienced consequences per se. Perhaps I have had my advocacy for other women “fall on deaf ears” but nothing outright negative. I enjoy and will continue to advocate for other capable and kind women — whether in my current role or throughout other capacities-volunteer or politically. Women who encourage others are the kinds of friends, mentors and acquaintances I cultivate.”

? Anonymous, employee, age 36-50