But the anecdotal evidence of that is not convincing, and those friends of women who like to use the word misandry might are likely to be a self-selecting group. Of that 16 percent, surely even fewer would find jokes about misandry funny.
A new Twitter account, WomanAgainstFeminism, takes on the popular hashtag used by women who disavow the movement with satirical rationales that humorously point out all the ways that women do need feminism. It would be misguided. What feminists really hate is the patriarchy—the web of institutions that systemically oppress women. And to tear it down, we need as many allies as we can get. Telling half the population that we hate them, even in jest, is not the way to do that.
Feminism is still very much engaged in the battle for hearts and minds; appealing to the sense of humor of a very small minority of the population can be a good way to alienate the rest.
There are two dominant cultural ideas about the role women play in helping other women advance at work, and they are seemingly at odds: the Righteous Woman and the Queen Bee. In turn, this heightened awareness should lead women to foster alliances and actively support one another. And hence, the special place in hell reserved for those women. As Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant point out in their essay in The New York Times on the myth of the catty woman , this belief rests on the erroneous idea that there is something inherent to the female sex that causes women to undermine each other on the job all the time.
The idea of a Queen Bee syndrome dates to research first done in the s. The ultimate Queen Bee is the successful woman who instead of using her power to help other women advance, undermines her women colleagues. When men battle it out, they are seen as engaging in healthy competition and vigorous debate.
When women do the same things, they are Mean Girls locked in a heated catfight. These perceptions that women are backstabbing and conniving can lead people to believe that workplace disagreements between women are especially damaging. A study found that when a conflict took place between two women coworkers, people expected the consequences to be both negative and long-lasting, for example that the women would want revenge.
In contrast, when the identical conflict was between two men or a man and a woman people thought that the relationship could be more readily repaired.
Thus, despite studies showing that men engage in indirect aggression like gossiping and social exclusion at similar or even higher rates than women, it is still widely believed that women are meaner to one another. Such beliefs are so pervasive that even preschoolers think that girls are more likely than boys to engage in relational aggression such as excluding others despite evidence to the contrary.
Even the term Queen Bee is gendered. Is there some truth in the Queen Bee stereotype? Are women nastier toward other women than men are to men or than women are to men? Research on these kinds of behaviors have found instances in which that is the case. And in the US, states with women governors initially had fewer deaths from Covid than states with male governors. This pattern already exists in other domains. Over time, some beliefs have shifted — up to a point.
To reach the top of the top, more cultural change is needed. Akshi Chawla, an independent researcher in Delhi who created the WomenLead newsletter , believes that the media and creators of popular culture have a key role.
Chawla advocates for building on this momentum to avoid complacency around gender equality , or the perception that one extraordinary event is sufficient. It still reinforces the stereotype that women in office are the exception and not the norm. Even as women leaders such as New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern have won plaudits for their pandemic leadership, many still face sexism and criticism Credit: Alamy.
Individual workplaces can nurture women leaders by, for instance, supporting networks of role models and enabling flexible work.
At an individual level, gaining certain life experiences may help to counter gender bias. Ono comments that in Japan, older men may witness frequent discrimination against women colleagues and partners, making them more sensitive to the need for women leaders.
In the US, men whose first children are daughters are more likely to support female political candidates. And for young girls, this is a critical time to be learning about what kinds of people get to be in charge. Equality Matters. Equality Matters How we work. Why do we still distrust women leaders? Share using Email.
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