Black Girl Magic or Queen Bee: An Exploration of Gendered Leadership in South African Business

Abstract

Gendered research is plagued by an array of challenges within a South African business context and the unique political landscape. Even with well‐established equity legislation and corporate governance compliance, the number of women in leadership remains bleak. The King IV reporting requirement of women at the board level places significant pressure on the existing employment equity goals for organizations in South Africa. Black women who attain leadership positions are criticized for being token affirmative action placements, and the lack of support is driving them out of the C‐suite. The current paper explores the concept of the queen bee syndrome contrasting it to the American phenomenon of black girl magic. The literature explores concepts of the queen bee syndrome, black girl magic, and the power of social capital with the boys' network in response to gendered leadership in South Africa. The contradictions that each of these concepts represents provide the context for the structural inequalities experienced by black women. The study is underpinned primarily by the social construction theory of reality and intersectionality. Black women leaders' roles and imminent success are mangled by the negative aspects of the queen bee syndrome in an effort to keep women out of the C‐suite.