The perception of queen bee phenomenon in nurses; qualitative study in health sector

Workplace mobbing, group cohesion and intraindividual variables in nurses from a rural hospital in Northern Greece: A correlation study

BACKGROUND

High levels of mobbing are reported in Greek nurses, but the intraindividual and perceived group emotional correlates are little investigated.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the relationship between workplace mobbing (specifically in the nursing sector of a public rural hospital in Greece) and emotional correlates.

METHODS

Questionnaires measuring emotional aspects such as Negative Act Questionnaire - Revised (NAQ-R) for measuring perceived exposure to bullying and victimization at work, Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Overall Job Satisfaction Scale (OJS), Job Affect Scale (JAS: positive and negative subscales), Perceived Cohesion Scale (PCS), Ethical Climate Questionnaire (ECQ), and Short General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) were administered. For the analysis of the data, descriptive and parametric tests were performed through the Pearson correlations and regression for the relationship between variables.

RESULTS

High mobbing levels were reported (M = 45.93) compared to already established cutoff scores. Statistically significant positive correlations were found for NAQ-R and MBI (Exhaustion subscale) (r = .569, p < .001), NAQ-R and JAS-negative affect (r = .610, p < .001), NAQ-R and GHQ-12 (r = .280, p = .002), and NAQ-R andeducational level (r = .196, p = .033). Statistically significant negative correlations were found for NAQ-R and ECQ (r = -.323, p < .001), NAQ-R and JAS-positive affect (r = -.556, p < .001), and NAQ-R and PCS (r = -.586, p < .001). Only burnout,negative affect, and perceived group cohesion predicted mobbing measured by NAQ- R.

CONCLUSION

As mobbing and its consequences are related to specific emotional variables, these perceived individual and group indices, could be targeted in future prevention initiatives.

The “Queen Bee Syndrome” in Sports Federations: An Exploratory Investigation of Gender Stereotypes in Italian Female Coaches

Several studies have shown that women in top positions tend to hinder and mistreat other women; this phenomenon is known in the literature under the term “Queen bee syndrome”. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Queen bee syndrome is also present within the Italian Sports Federations. To this end, an online questionnaire was administered to Italian female coaches (n = 516). From the statistical analyses, it emerged that coaches in the 40–49 age group attribute to themselves more masculine than feminine adjectives (Bem Sex-Role Inventory, BSRI), and also score higher on the gender stereotype scales, the Attitudes Towards Women Scale (d = −0.1189, p < 0.05) and the Macho Scale, compared to trainers in the 18–29 age group (d = −0.1681, p < 0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation emerges between the scores obtained on the Attitudes Towards Women Scale and Macho Scale (r = 0.600, p <0.01) and between organizational support and affective attachment to the organization (r = 0.529, p <0.01). Overall, all the results seem to show the presence of the Queen bee syndrome within the Italian Sports Federations. In the future, it will be interesting to evaluate additional variables involved in this phenomenon.

Does the glass elevator still work: A descriptive and cross-sectional study in the context of gender in Turkey

AIM

To analyse the glass elevator in nursing, evaluating this concept within the conceptual context of nurse managers' perceptions of gender.

BACKGROUND

Glass elevator is defined as the rapid promotion of men to upper positions in certain professions in which women comprise the majority, such as nursing.

METHODS

Data were collected from 134 nurse managers. Participants selected one of four resumes belonging to four virtual candidates for an open management position. They, then completed the Perception of Gender Scale.

RESULTS

Nurse managers mostly selected men among the four candidates submitted to them for promotion to upper positions. None of the nurse managers' characteristics caused a statistically significant difference regarding the gender of the candidate they selected. No statistically significant difference was found between the perception of gender scores of those who selected female or male candidates.

CONCLUSIONS

Men are two times more likely to be selected than women when selecting candidates for promotion with the same qualifications. This was not caused by the decision-makers' or nurse managers' personal and professional characteristics nor their perceptions on gender.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

The psychological mechanisms that operate the 'glass elevator' in favour of men should be analysed in greater depth.