Girls Rule the World
I was reading an interesting article the other day my friend posted called The Tyranny of the Queen Bee. To sum it up, it said that once women reach higher levels of power in the workplace, they tend to compete with female subordinates instead of acting as mentors. The information didn't surprise me because it is very true. I remember when I first started looking for a job and I turned to some women who I thought were great professional role models, that didn't seem to want to put much effort into helping me or putting in a good word for me. But I also had other women that were very happy to help and encourage me during that process. I've also heard stories from friends and have watched movies where the woman in charge just didn't want anyone jeopardizing her power, so she did anything she could to make female subordinates look bad or the bare minimum to help them succeed. Why is this? Well it's already difficult for women to get ahead in male-dominated industries, so some women feel they need to protect what's theirs, as they should. Women work 10 times harder to get to the top. However, there should be more solidarity among women in the workforce, because this will open up more opportunities for women to be successful in every field. Drexler (2013) states, "The very women who have complained for decades about unequal treatment now perpetuate many of the same problems by turning on their own." Fortunately, I am in a position with a female boss that is very supportive. Once I excel to a leadership role I hope to be able to inspire, encourage, and develop as many women as I can so that they can reach their professional goals. Women really have to let go of this "mean girl" mentality, and nurture relationships with other professional women. When we work together we can all be successful.