London - It’s a phenomenon: women who reach the top of their professions then become more sexist than even their most ruthless male counterparts.
Now psychologists claim to understand what’s behind “queen bee” behaviour - in which women distance themselves from other females and refuse to help them rise through the ranks.
The answer appears to lie in how male-dominated and sexist their workplace or industry is.
Women are far less likely to behave like “alpha females” - with the most famous examples including Margaret Thatcher and Anna Wintour - if they work in an environment where sexism is no longer an issue, the study found.
But if they are climbing their way to the top in a male-dominated or sexist workplace, women in senior positions are more likely to avoid supporting or helping female colleagues.
A team of psychologists led by Professor Belle Derks of Leiden University in the Netherlands surveyed 63 women in senior jobs in police departments. They were asked how important their “gender identity” was in their jobs. Half were then asked to write about a situation where they thought being a woman was detrimental to them at work. This was designed to “prime” them into thinking about sexism.
They were then asked to describe their leadership style, how they compared to female colleagues and if they believed there was a gender bias in the police force.
The experts found the women who described themselves as having a “weak gender identity” described their leadership style in very male terms. The researchers concluded they answered like queen bees.
Those who said they had a strong gender identity and had been “primed” to think about sexism were far more likely to say they would help mentor other women.
But if they were not reminded of gender bias, they were less likely to act like queen bees.
Professor Derks said the findings, in Psychological Science journal, said: “Queen bee behaviour might be a response to a difficult, male-dominated environment.
“If an organisation simply puts women in higher positions without doing anything about gender bias, these women will be forced to distance themselves from the group.” - Daily Mail