The so called ‘queen bee syndrome’ of women discriminating against other women as they rise in seniority is relatively well documented in the management literature.  A recent study from the University of Arizona set out to learn more about it, and whether it is becoming more prevalent as workplaces attempt to become more equal in terms of their gender split.

“Studies show women report more incivility experiences overall than men, but we wanted to find out who was targeting women with rude remarks,” the authors explain.

The team conducted three studies involving men and women had full time jobs.  The participants were quizzed on any examples of incivility they had experienced at work in the past month.  This incivility could be put downs from colleagues or derogatory remarks, demeaning comments or addressing them in unprofessional terms.  The participants were asked to answer each question twice, once for male colleagues and once for female colleagues.

“Across the three studies, we found consistent evidence that women reported higher levels of incivility from other women than their male counterparts,” the researchers say. “In other words, women are ruder to each other than they are to men, or than men are to women.”

Suffice to say, that doesn’t mean men don’t engage in such behaviors, but on average, female-instigated incivility was reported by women more often than male-instigated incivility.

Inside the workplace

The research also required participants to complete trait inventories of their personalities to see if there were any forces behind the number of women being treated poorly.  This added layer revealed that incivility was highest among women who defied gender norms.  Such women would be more assertive and dominant at work, and would often target female colleagues much more than women who didn’t display those traits.

Interestingly, when men bucked gender norms by being assertive and warm, this typically resulted in lower incivility levels, suggesting that men can be credited for deviating from gender stereotypes in a way that women typically are not.

The team believe their findings should be valuable to leaders, not least because evidence revealed that female employees were much more likely to leave (and reported lower job satisfaction if they stayed) after being on the receiving end of incivility at work.  The authors believe that incivility can cost around $14,000 per employee as a result.

“Companies should be asking, ‘What kinds of interventions can be put in place to really shift the narrative and reframe it?'” the authors say. “Making workplace interactions more positive and supportive for employees can go a long way toward creating a more positive, healthier environment that helps sustain the company in the long run. Organizations should make sure they also send signals that the ideas and opinions of all employees are valued, and that supporting others is crucial for business success—that is, acting assertively should not be viewed negatively, but as a positive way for employees to voice concerns and speak up.”