ENEMIES: From War to Wisdom Episode 23: Troubled Sisterhood: Veiled Aggression and Competition

There are now many studies that demonstrate how successful white women will undermine other high-status women instead of sharing resources, praise or support. If you are a working white woman, especially if you are in a position of leadership or management in a stressful setting, you have probably noticed that your fans are not other White women around who are also trying to be successful. Traditionally, White women have relied on veiled competition with each other, giving the illusion of being less aggressive than their male counterparts, and so, they may be shocked when they arrive in positions of power that they are more opposed and undermined by women like themselves than by men. The mother-daughter relationship is the most unconscious and often the most competitive relationship in the family, especially among white families of means. This podcast will look at the challenges that women now face in the workplace and on social media in regard to competition between women. It will take the position that black and brown function differently from white women because they have not traditionally set their sights on marrying as the means to financial security. On this podcast, we will unpack the problems of white women’s lack of support for each other’s prominence.