Queen Bee Syndrome primarily affects women in senior positions and is characterised by clear discrimination against other female employees and favouritism towards men. This phenomenon was defined in the 1970s by American psychologist Graham L. Staines. He presented the Queen Bee Syndrome in his article for “Psychology Today” magazine, using the term to describe female managers who discriminate against women working under them due to fear of losing their position. They treat ambitious women particularly harshly, seeing them as potential competitors, often actively preventing their career progression.

Queen Bee Syndrome – definition

Queen Bee Syndrome and approach to men in the team

“Queen bees” do not perceive a similar threat from men. On the contrary, they may try to surround themselves with men and establish friendly relationships with male colleagues or subordinates. This most likely stems from the historical unequal gender division among employees, when women almost exclusively held the lowest positions and earned less than men holding the same jobs.

A female boss affected by this syndrome may feel exceptional because she has managed to enter what she perceives as a “male world” – and feels a constant need to prove that she is on par with men (unlike other female employees). Therefore, when she sees her subordinates engaged in their work or starting to achieve success, e.g., exceptionally high sales results, she develops a fear that an ambitious woman wants to take her position.

Does Queen Bee Syndrome only affect female managers?

Although Queen Bee Syndrome is most often observed in women holding senior positions within a company's organisational culture, it can also affect lower-level employees. In such cases, we speak of a woman who tries at all costs to get promoted or become the “favourite” of a male superior. To achieve her goal, she may not only behave unpleasantly towards her female colleagues, whom she sees as competitors, but also deliberately put obstacles in their way. Her goal will be to block the career development of her colleagues or even to reduce their productivity or increase the number of errors they make.

How to recognise Queen Bee Syndrome?

Queen Bee Syndrome can manifest itself through various negative behaviours, of varying intensity. A woman affected by it does not have to openly act against her colleagues or subordinates. On the contrary, she often discriminates against them in such a way that only they feel her resentment. So, how can this phenomenon be recognised? Queen Bee Syndrome includes such behaviours and traits as:

inaccessibility and coolness towards women
temperamental behaviour towards women
negative comments about other women
tendency to gossip
publicly highlighting the mistakes of female colleagues or subordinates
negating the ideas of female colleagues or subordinates
lowering other women's self-esteem
passive-aggressive attitude towards female employees
demanding female employees explain their mistakes in public
suggesting to women that they are doing their job poorly (“you thought it was supposed to look like that?”)
imposing too many duties on female employees or, conversely, not assigning new tasks to women
tendency to show off publicly
putting oneself in the spotlight
strong desire for praise
spending breaks in male company
ostentatiously laughing at men's jokes
friendly attitude towards the male part of the team
praising men's successes
a need to inspire admiration

How does Queen Bee Syndrome affect teamwork?

There is no doubt that the behaviour of women with Queen Bee Syndrome negatively affects the entire team. It lowers the well-being of its female members and consequently their work efficiency, thereby disrupting the proper functioning of the company. In its intense form, this phenomenon constitutes bullying, and it is worth remembering that this is defined in the Labour Code (Art. 943) – the law provides for the possibility of claiming compensation from the perpetrator of bullying, as well as terminating the employment contract precisely because of bullying.

Moreover, behaviours typical of the syndrome discussed are also gender discrimination, which additionally violates the provisions of Art. 183a of the Labour Code. They are therefore not only harmful, both from a social and business perspective, but also unlawful.

The task of women holding managerial positions in an organisation should be to motivate the team and ensure the development of every employee. Queen Bee Syndrome is the antithesis of this. It introduces unhealthy competition into the team and clips the wings of ambitious female employees, whose potential is one of the most important assets of any company – alongside the potential of men, of course. It is worth remembering that this phenomenon can have very serious consequences, such as leading women around the “queen bee” to professional burnout or nervous breakdown, increasing staff turnover, lowering the quality of services and goods offered by the company, or imposing financial penalties on it due to discrimination.

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Queen Bee Syndrome