Women Implored To Shun ‘Queen Bee Syndrome’

Women in the professional world have been encouraged to eschew rivalry and collaborate to avoid the ‘Queen Bee Syndrome’.

Fauziyyah Muhammad Bashir, a delegate at the African Women’s Conference 2025, currently being held in Accra, Ghana, said the “Queen Bee” syndrome is one in which the woman who has successfully ascended to the top, rather than extending a hand down, distances herself.

“She believes she must stand alone to protect her status, viewing other rising women not as successors, but as threats to her singular achievement.

Fauziyyah Muhammad Bashir said the most challenging manifestation of this dynamic is born from a scarcity mindset, a deeply ingrained belief that opportunities for women are finite, and that for one woman to succeed, another must fail.

She said when women truly support women, “we don’t just lift individuals, we lift the entire organisation, creating workplaces that are stronger, more inclusive, and dramatically more successful”.

Fauziyyah said women must recognize that their collective strength “is the most powerful tool we possess, we must replace competition with collaboration, must replace silence with sponsorship, and open the doors for those who follow”.