My worst managers were women, and a feminist will tell you that

This column was initially published on Sophie Gourion’s Linkedin page and was a great success. Sophie Gourion agreed to let us cover it in full.
Sophie Gourion is a feminist activist, gender equality expert and author of children’s books: Girls and boys can do it too (Grund Editions).

Although women should support each other and join forces to fight discrimination, unfortunately we see that they are more rivals than allies. They sorely lack female solidarity, as Simone de Beauvoir deplores in The Second Sex “Women live scattered among men”. This phenomenon is obviously not written in the female genes but is the result of a social construction which is explained by several factors:

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲́𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗺 𝘀

In a society where “masculine” prevails, women may internalize these differences in treatment and adopt gender stereotypes, even if they are aware of these problems. Popular culture reinforces these stereotypes by often presenting women as “simple people” who tyrannize their subordinates (example: “The Devil Wears Prada”).

𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝗹𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘀

Often referred to by the English term “Queen Bee Syndrome”, this is a dynamic observable in professional environments in which a woman in a position of power adopts competitive and hostile behaviors towards her colleagues. Inspired by the behavior of the queen of a bee colony, this woman seeks to maintain dominance over her by eliminating or devaluing other women around her. This syndrome can help perpetuate stereotypes that are harmful to women’s advancement in the professional world.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲́𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗿𝗲́𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲

The belief in female rivalry can become reality through repetition, manifesting itself in behavior at work. One study showed that in the United States, 80% of female workplace bullies target other women. By comparison, 56% of male bullies did the same to their male counterparts

𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱

Rivalry (called slander when it comes to women) is not evaluated in the same way depending on whether you are a man or a woman: when they are men fighting for a position it is competition, when they are women it is teasing. When men show authority towards their team it is a skill, when it is women they are tyrants

𝗔𝗱𝗵𝗲́𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲̀𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻

In a predominantly male professional environment, some women think that siding with men is the solution to avoiding a war between the sexes, which can contribute to the lack of female solidarity.

And you?

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