Women carving out a career in a male-dominated environment might expect there is one thing guaranteed to work in their favor – a female boss. But surprisingly it's more likely to wreck a woman’s promotion prospects than help them.
Women who do break through the glass ceiling are more likely to help out their male subordinates than female ones. Research shows men who report to a female manager get much more mentoring and support than their female colleagues.
The findings, published in the journal Social Science Research, add to previous evidence that so-called Queen Bee syndrome can be a major obstacle to women climbing the corporate ladder.
Far from encouraging other ambitious women, psychologists at the University of Cincinnati found female bosses are more inclined to obstruct them.
Based on responses from more than 2,000 employees, it shows Queen Bee syndrome can also affect work-related health. In 2008 German researchers reported women who answered to a female supervisor suffered more depression, insomnia, headaches and heartburn than if their boss was a man.
This is not good news I know, but I am starting to see more Real Cougar Women go out of their way to help cougars-in-training get ahead. That's because we are secure in who we are and what we can do. This makes a huge difference.
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