Queen Bees at Work
It's one of the thorniest, least-discussed issues for working women today: How to deal with the more senior woman who has sacrificed family for her career and believes that the "hard way" she got ahead is the only way to advance. Part-time, flex-time, staying home with a sick child, leaving work early to watch a soccer game -- you don't get leeway from her because no one gave her any sympathy when she was struggling to balance work and family (or no family).
Today, we've got more than 40 years' worth of women entering U.S. colleges, graduate schools and professional workforces in record numbers. Workplace norms are changing rapidly -- I only have to think back to the floppy ties and slipped-off wedding rings that were common practices in the early 1990s when I got out of graduate school. Today, it's natural that we see generation gaps among working mothers of different ages. But this disconnect between women at work can be tricky and destructive. How do you reach out for help from a woman who doesn't want to help you?
Deborah Epstein Henry, founder of Flex-Time Lawyers, a national consulting firm advising law firms, corporations and lawyers on work/life balance and the retention and promotion of female attorneys, observes this phenomenon in consulting to law firms. "You see the junior woman lawyer not being able to relate to or not wanting to model herself after the so-called Queen Bees. This generation gap interferes with mentoring and advancement opportunities in the workplace. All women could be more productive in the workforce by supporting each other's choices rather than judging them."
Do you identify with other women at diverse professional levels? Do the struggles facing older -- or younger -- female colleagues draw you closer together or further apart? Have you had a boss who juggled work and kids differently than you -- and judged or penalized you for your choices? What strategies have helped you turn a Queen Bee into your friend and mentor?
By Leslie Morgan Steiner |
November 5, 2007; 7:00 AM ET
| Category:
Conflicts
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