Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has said for many years that "There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other." That quotation was uttered recently by Albright again in support of Hillary Clinton's candidacy... and she has come under attack for it. I wonder how you women feel about this quote in general and how you feel about it in the context of this election.
There is a female executive in my suite of offices. She is one grade below me in the hierarchy. I work with her routinely and occasionally I have lunch with her. No one defames her more, disrespects her more, or undermines her more than the female staff in my office. I have witnessed this firsthand and she has spoken to me about it a few times. We are still theorizing on why this happens. She is not a "bitch"; she a kind and thoughtful professional and she has sought to help or mentor young women inside and outside of our organization. She has suggested (and I am inclined to agree) that this is happening because some people (lots of people) are simply not used to seeing a woman in charge and can't quite processes it--especially other women. This manifests itself as some form of hostility. They would rather drag another woman down than help her ascend to a more senior role even when they are not in any direct competition with her. Have you seen this in your own lives? Or experienced it yourself?
Do you think women suffer from internalized misogyny the way some blacks suffer from internalized racism, or some gays suffer from internalized homophobia? Why are some women so hard on other women?
Have you ever gone out of your way to support another women simply because she is a woman?