Poll: Queen bees and catty women — myth or fact?
One major obstacle to female success and progress, we’re sometimes told, is powerful women — queen bees who refuse to help other women. If you approach one for advice, instead of opening a door for you, she’ll shut it before you can ever get your foot in.
However, statistically, that may not be true, according to a recent opinion piece in The New York Times.
Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook Inc., and Adam Grant, author and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, penned the op-ed. To test the queen bee theory, they posited that female senior managers should have a more negative impact on the other women in their companies who are trying to climb into professional ranks. While some studies cited in the op-ed support this, other research supports the notion that women create opportunities for women.
That’s not to say queen bees or “catty woman” mentalities do not exist. But when they do, it’s generally a result of inequality, Sandberg and Grant write. It results when women in a male-dominated environment are worried about their position. A talented woman presents a threat if there’s only one seat for a woman at the table.
Despite research showing that women can benefit by advocating for other women, there are consequences as well, according to the op-ed. In a recent study of more than 300 executives, when men promoted diversity, they received slightly higher performance ratings. They were good guys who cared about breaking down the old boys’ network.
When female executives promoted diversity, they received significantly lower performance ratings. They were perceived as nepotistic — trying to give an advantage to their own group.
So what do you do? Do you protect your turf in order to further your own career? Or do you advocate for other women and face potential consequences? We want to know what you have experienced. Do you know a queen bee? Are YOU a queen bee? What consequences have you faced when you’ve advocated for other women?
Weigh in in our anonymous poll. Responses may be used in a future edition of Lift IOWA.
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