Queen Bee ... Pro ... and Con

Bravo to T.V. Rajan for pointing out several notions that many female scientists have realized for years1: the fact that it is not necessary to work in the lab 24/7 to excel in science and the fact that it is primordial "to supplant one's mentor and cast out the previous generation on ice floats to make oneself the leader of the realm." Unfortunately the title of the article "The Queen Bee Syndrome" is oversimplifying the situation. Perhaps a better title would be "The Lion King Syndrome."

Tamar Smith-Norowitz, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
SUNY, Downstate Medical Center
Brooklyn, NY
tamar.smith-norowitz@downstate.edu

...

When I saw the title [of the article],1 I was intrigued to see how you would take on the delicate elephant in the room. The senior woman who derives her sense of status from membership in an exclusive club and...

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