Abstract: According to Alexander Abad-Santos, Americans have come along way in the last 60 years, where gender has not become a major factor in preference for bosses. Yet, there has been many recent articles written by women explaining how terrible it is to actually work for a female. The Queen Bee syndrome, described from an article in the Today show explains that "The Queen Bee boss is the alpha female who tries to preserve her power at all costs. Instead of promoting her younger counterparts, she feels threatened by them, judges them, talks about them and, in many cases, ends up obstructing their attempts to climb the corporate ladder." This article explains that there are more articles on how to work for a female or why not to work for a female - there is nothing on men.
Discussion Questions: 1) Why don't some women like it when women break the glass ceiling? 2) Do you believe in The Queen Bee syndrome? 3) Do you have a preference on what gender you would like your boss to be? Why? 4) Why do you think there are more articles and guides to work for a female but not a male? 5) What makes a Queen Bee? 6) Why do you think the Queen Bee syndrome exists in our society? 7) Is there a male equivalence of the Queen Bee syndrome?
Lynn's Response: Although I do believe that women should have the chance to become bosses like men, I do think that having a woman as a boss is fearsome to a lot of people due to the Queen Bee syndrome. Because women in the past have fought so hard to be considered equal to men, I feel that it has forced them to be stronger and more powerful. Thus when they are placed in a leadership role, they become more afraid and cautious of losing it because they're trying to keep their jobs. That's why female bosses aren't always appealing to people since they tend to have intense personalities. Despite the bad image of female bosses in the workplace, I feel that they are something to be praised because it shows how far we've evolved as a society that women can now be bosses.
Klein's Response: Before reading this article I definitely supported women power and equality. I enjoyed the idea that women can, and should come out on top. But after reading, I realized that I'm not sure if I would be happy working for a female. Women are different from men, we have mood swings, take things too seriously, sometimes we are too emotional and most times we can be a cold-hearted female dog. I believe in the Queen Bee Syndrome because if I was boss, I wouldn't want another younger counterpart trying to take away my spot. Therefore I am proud of women who break the glass ceiling, I definitely want to accomplish that one day but as of right now, I can honestly say that I would be scared to work for a woman.
Link: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/11/female-bosswomen-are-their-own-worst-enemies-tk/71455/
Abstract: According to Alexander Abad-Santos, Americans have come along way in the last 60 years, where gender has not become a major factor in preference for bosses. Yet, there has been many recent articles written by women explaining how terrible it is to actually work for a female. The Queen Bee syndrome, described from an article in the Today show explains that "The Queen Bee boss is the alpha female who tries to preserve her power at all costs. Instead of promoting her younger counterparts, she feels threatened by them, judges them, talks about them and, in many cases, ends up obstructing their attempts to climb the corporate ladder." This article explains that there are more articles on how to work for a female or why not to work for a female - there is nothing on men.
Discussion Questions:
1) Why don't some women like it when women break the glass ceiling?
2) Do you believe in The Queen Bee syndrome?
3) Do you have a preference on what gender you would like your boss to be? Why?
4) Why do you think there are more articles and guides to work for a female but not a male?
5) What makes a Queen Bee?
6) Why do you think the Queen Bee syndrome exists in our society?
7) Is there a male equivalence of the Queen Bee syndrome?
Lynn's Response: Although I do believe that women should have the chance to become bosses like men, I do think that having a woman as a boss is fearsome to a lot of people due to the Queen Bee syndrome. Because women in the past have fought so hard to be considered equal to men, I feel that it has forced them to be stronger and more powerful. Thus when they are placed in a leadership role, they become more afraid and cautious of losing it because they're trying to keep their jobs. That's why female bosses aren't always appealing to people since they tend to have intense personalities. Despite the bad image of female bosses in the workplace, I feel that they are something to be praised because it shows how far we've evolved as a society that women can now be bosses.
Klein's Response: Before reading this article I definitely supported women power and equality. I enjoyed the idea that women can, and should come out on top. But after reading, I realized that I'm not sure if I would be happy working for a female. Women are different from men, we have mood swings, take things too seriously, sometimes we are too emotional and most times we can be a cold-hearted female dog. I believe in the Queen Bee Syndrome because if I was boss, I wouldn't want another younger counterpart trying to take away my spot. Therefore I am proud of women who break the glass ceiling, I definitely want to accomplish that one day but as of right now, I can honestly say that I would be scared to work for a woman.