Queen bees, worker bees or bees in your bonnet? : a local study about women into top positions and their perceptions on whether the 'Queen Bee' is a barrier to women's career advancement

Abstract

This research is inspired by stereotypes about women in management and resultant barriers to career advancement. It focuses on the queen bee stereotype which labels women managers working in a predominantly male-environment as unhelpful to women subordinates thinking that their advancement should be as difficult as theirs. No relevant local research was found despite several studies on gender and management. The current research addresses this gap by exploring the relevance of international literature to the local context, particularly research in Johnson 2010, since reviewed literature highlights the importance of social context. Data sourced through in-depth semi-structured interviews gauged the experiences and perceptions of 12 high-ranking women about the research question. The absolute majority of respondents report no prevalence of the queen bee syndrome, that there are only subtle manifestations whilst attributing remote negative experiences with female bosses to character rather than gender. Meanwhile, although a third of respondents speak of particular assistance received from female superiors it transpires that most respondents received support on a needs basis rather than as part of a subordinate development programme. Respondents also highlight other barriers to their advancement, particularly career breaks, psychological barriers, work-life balance, women's political underrepresentation and barriers that are specific to Malta. Some research conclusions depart from conclusions in Johnson 2010 whilst finding a generally heterogeneous group of women that do not fit the queen bee stereotype. The study highlights that since most work environments have predominantly male top management; women are not always the deciding factor for women's advancement to to The findings provide future research implications namely about male corporate cultures, women's retention in top positions and management diversification.