Abstract

Researchers have long needed clarification on the continued underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles in the United Kingdom’s Finance sector. This study seeks to determine if the concept of the Queen Bee, as used in previous research, is still relevant to this subject. It adopted a qualitative methodology and collected data using interviews with fourteen female leaders in Finance. The data showed that the women leaders did not regard themselves as Queen Bees. In general, they did not engage in negative behaviors toward other females. However, at times, they did exhibit the reported characteristics of a Queen Bee. They did tend to support other females, but their support was inconsistent because they had internalized opinions that were similar to Queen Bees. Women leaders in Finance, because of some of their negative leadership traits, are not doing enough to support other women, and often reinforcing some gendered barriers. The study found that the concept of the Queen Bee is a real social phenomenon remaining relevant to female underrepresentation and organizational diversity.