The Myth of the ‘Queen Bee’: Work and Sexism

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We live in a time when a significant portion of feminism tries to make the case that other than a few organs, males and females are fundamentally the same. Therefore, when females are believed to 'perform less' in a particular situation, one must blame a 'sexist environment'. The reality is that each gender (generally speaking) has sets of unique strengths and weaknesses with a lot of overlapping capabilities of equivalent quality. The difficulty of women mentoring each other in the workforce has been studied and written upon greatly. It is a significant weakness they have to overcome and blaming a 'sexist workplace' is just another way to avoid personal responsibility. Women are terrific in many professional areas and in some areas better than men. It is only rational that they are less good than men in other areas. This can be overcome with proper role-modeling and pre-workforce education.

Michael T. of CO 4:59PM June 26, 2011

Hi there....I work in a massively male based environment...the male environment is by its nature an aggessive one...men always compete with each other verbally and physically... and have done since childhood... I can tell you....all you have to do is put one female into a male environment and the whole game changes...jokes comments interaction have to change...tension is added to the environment... in a different way to alpha male rivalry...in short a female changes the game... hence the rules of interaction change... What is the expection? A females just one of the boys?...When a man looks at a girl... the mental processing in the brain is different...ieThe thoughts...So can you really expect the same out come as that of a man interacting with a man??? ...Is a man at the top really any more connected...than a female...or do men just operate more individually...or not see it as an issue... Asking females how they feel about a sitution...what is this telling you? All this seems to tell me is what is feels like to be in a world with men in it...whats the expectation...the world runs how women feel it should...so they feel the right things?? Just throwing it out there ; )

stuart owen 10:29AM June 26, 2011

I work for a midsize but perceptively large A/E firm. We have 10 offices, and 1 female partner out of several men. I regularly work overtime, some weekends, nights, to stay on top of deadlines--there's usually a 3:1 female/male ratio of others doing the same. I've also experienced being passed over by less qualified, younger, attractive women who were favored by management. That is something everyone sees!
After a couple years, you wonder "what's the point?" A paycheck is not enough--although these days other options are few. I've communicated clear goals to management -- which are politely acknowledged yet dismissed. It's important to talk to both men and women, and ask direct questions wherever you want to work. Just like the study, the answers may sound similar, but the subtleties will provide insight. Sometimes you simply cannot change the culture once the "yogurt has gone sour."

Maria of TX 12:18PM June 25, 2011