Queen Bee Phenomenon Scale: Psychometric Evidence in the Brazilian Context

Abstract

This study aimed to develop an instrument to measure the queen bee phenomenon, present in women in positions of command who hinder the professional development of other women. In this article, the phenomenon is understood as a response to the social threat experienced by women who aspire to high positions in men's organizations. The sample, of 495 women who worked in higher education institutions, was divided into two groups: Group 1 (G1; 248, M Age = 44 years old) and Group 2 (G2; 247, M Age = 42 years old). These individuals answered the Queen Bee Phenomenon Scale (QBPS) and demographic questions. Considering the G1 participants, a principal component analysis was performed, which allowed the identification of a hexafactorial structure, explaining 60.5% of the total variance and presenting an overall internal consistency of 0.72. Subsequently, for the G2 participants, the adequacy of the QBPS hexafactorial structure was confirmed (CFI = 0.935, TLI = 0.923, and RMSEA = 0.049). It was concluded that there is evidence for both the validity of the factors and the internal consistency of the measure, which thus may be properly used in other studies.

The triggers and consequences of the Queen Bee phenomenon: A systematic literature review and integrative framework

“…The research has advanced significantly since 1974 and has been published in the top journals in the psychology, sociology and management fields. More recently, the field has experienced a discussion regarding using the metaphor and its possible setbacks (e.g., Faniko et al ., 2021), exploration of new context and samples (e.g., Cibibin & Leo, 2022), and the development of measurement instruments (e.g., Grangeiro, Rezende, Gomes Neto, Carneiro & Esnard, 2022), which can be further applied in another context to more fully understand the QBP. Despite the field's potential, the systematic literature review allowed us to identify specific areas where further research is needed.…”

“…Second, despite our efforts to review the international literature, most of the peer‐reviewed articles from the data sources are from Europe and North America (Table 1). It is consistent with the search for only papers in English and findings from previous studies on metaphors of gender inequalities (e.g., Grangeiro et al ., 2022). This data sheds some light on the inequality of the research, with the predominance of the studies focusing on Western culture and, more specifically, on developed countries.…”

“…Cibibin & Leo, 2022), and the development of measurement instruments (e.g. Grangeiro et al, 2022), which can be further applied in another context to more fully understand the QBP. Despite the field's potential, the systematic literature review allowed us to identify specific areas where further research is needed.…”