Queen bee syndrome: A modern dilemma of working women and its effects on turnover intentions

Abstract

In modern business life, women cannot be adequately represented in business life, and in many cultures, male domination in the business environment continues without question. The negative impact of this male-dominated work environment on women may create expectations of solidarity among women workers and more supportive attitudes towards each other, but in practice these expectations may not always be met. Many women even claim that they are excluded or not supported and even prevented by working women managers. In queen bee syndrome, it was argued that female managers preferred to stay away from and support their female subordinates, in order to suppress the feelings of inadequacy and exclusion exposed on them by male employees because of their gender. Thus, it is argued that they believe that they will avoid being an ordinary member of their social group and try to create the perception that they do not have the characteristics of this disadvantaged group. However, their inclination to distance themselves from their subordinates often creates an unfavourable environment, which may lead to high levels of turnover intentions on the side of their subordinates. In this study, by a field research conducted on Turkish white-collar women workers, we investigated the possible effects of queen bee syndrome on turnover intentions. Results were analyzed in SPSS 20 and analyzes confirmed the above-mentioned hypothesis.