Why women are afraid to compete on the job

On the road to success and so many obstacles, but worst of all, if you separate from winning another woman, and not even because of her skills above. Sociologists point out that there is a special women's fear of competition from other women, and this provokes serious problems for career advancement. Reasons to such a situation a lot.

Women are afraid to spoil relations

Celine Kesebir, PhD, assistant professor at London Business School examined how competition affects women. Her team, along with researchers at the London School of Management, asked men and women to perform a simple task - to collect text, being surrounded by people like your gender or the opposite.

Women in the circle of other women reported high levels of negative emotions such as feeling of nervousness, anxiety and indecision. Men are competing with each other, more likely to report positive reactions they feel nervous and anxious.

But when the women worked with men, they do not feel as nervous and worried that their relationships with men will suffer. Problems arose only when working with other women.

When the women had to compete with other women, they felt that their relationship becomes worse. These feelings can lead women to the fact that they start to avoid situations where they have to compete with female colleagues, or will not work so vigorously. - Celine Kesebir

In the first place, it means that they may miss the opportunity for career growth due to fears spoiling relations.

The girls do not get used to compete with a child

Even as a child, girls often try to equalize their opportunities in the game, while the boys are trying to determine who is the best. Moreover, the games that were played by boys, traditionally competitive, and games for girls are focused on achieving common goals with help and support. Today, the methods of education are changing, as the opinion of the children's preferences. A striking example of the changes could be a campaign Adidas #LikeAGirl, dedicated to improving the visibility of women in sport and making fun of gender stereotypes. In addition, the researchers suggest that children are not prone to "male" or "female" toys, and their choice is often dictated by the fact that they offer parents. New generations have grown up already with an understanding of the need for equality, most likely, will not be faced with similar problems.

supported cooperation rather than competition at the workplace

Surprisingly, most managers continue to support teamwork, not isolated individuals in the company, and this leads to internal problems in the hierarchy. Some call it "the ceiling Sisterhood" - a phenomenon in which women do not allow other women to move up the career ladder, sabotaging their success. Kesebir stresses that such a culture in the offices is even more stress for all women of the company, and does not contribute to team building. Furthermore, women who are called to work against their will, are increasingly reported damaged relations between colleagues. It is in any case does not mean that women are able to work in a team, but, according to sociologists, it is imperative to change the dynamics of the work to raise the morale. The best solution would be to support both the overall pace of the department, and the successes of individual employees.

Women leaders do not have enough

Women have made huge strides in advancing their careers, but still not represented in most leadership positions. It seems that they have to compete with each other for some quotas - may not be the same in every successful company to be headed by a woman.

Participants in the US studies have also noticed that their increase may depend on the race:

Raised black, I always thought that there is only room for one representative race. In any series, there was only one black one, so that it strengthened my competitiveness.

Because of the sense of limit women to high positions are quickly losing leadership spirit and the belief that one day they will be able to obtain a leading position.

Studies also show that if women do the work alone or surrounded by other women, the payment for their work about the same. But if women are working in the company of women, more likely to receive awards for teamwork.

Experts remind that the competition - it is not bad, and most of it is part of the work. I want women to not be afraid of competition, but know that we can also move forward. Look strong and independent - it does not mean that others will suffer damage. You'll never know where will be the other person. It could help you get a better job or improve your own efficiency.

- Claire Wasserman, the founder of the Ladies Get Paid, an organization that fights for equal pay.