United by Packs: Bonobos and Professional Women Wield Power Through Alliances
Reinforcing Female Connections Benefits Bonobos and Women, Assert New Findings
Two recent studies, one focusing on bonobos and the other on professional women, show that female alliances can revolutionize power dynamics. In the wild, researchers witness bonobo females banding together to suppress male aggression and uphold their social standing. Meanwhile, professional women are pegging back gender discrimination by building supportive networks. Let's dive into the captivating world of these strong female bonds.
Bonobos: Conquering Power with Herd Mentality
Bonobo females, despite their smaller stature, frequently outrank males, deciding when to mate and who eats first. Researchers from six bonobo communities across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as detailed in Communications Biology, suggest that this is due to female bonobos forming alliances that control male aggression.
By examining 1,786 conflicts between males and females over 30 years, they discovered that females won 61% of the conflicts. Female coalition formation was key to their success, as more frequent coalitions correlated with higher social ranks and victory in conflicts with males.
Women At Work: Strengthening Through Networks
Women in the workplace may not face the same challenges as bonobos, but forming strong bonds remains impactful. A second study reveals that professional women, by building supportive networks, are more likely to challenge discrimination and champion equality.
Published in Gender & Society, the study interviewed 31 professional women across diverse industries, age groups, and racial backgrounds. These female professionals shared stories of workplace discrimination and how social networks influenced their responses. Results demonstrated that support networks, often developed through informal conversations and personal relationships, helped clarify experiences of discrimination and fostered a sense of shared purpose.
For instance, Kayla, a 24-year-old healthcare administration worker, initially struggled to identify whether she was being discriminated against. After discussing her situation with colleagues, she realized her experiences were part of a widespread pattern of gendered treatment, empowering her to speak up.
Common Thread: Coalition Building and Influence
Both female bonobos and professional women employ coalition building to gain power, albeit in distinct settings. Despite the contrasting contexts, both groups use alliances to maintain dominance, combat aggression, and counteract discrimination.
The articles surfacing from these recent studies not only highlight the power of female alliances but also underscore the importance of unity in overcoming obstacles and challenging conventional power dynamics, whether in the heart of the rainforest or in a modern-day boardroom.
Female Bonobos
Coalition Formation: Female bonobos rally together to maintain dominance by collectively enforcing submission, shaping the group's hierarchy favorably towards females. This is common in nearly 85% of observed coalitions.
Mechanisms: These coalitions often start with loud vocalizations, followed by coordinated attacks on male bonobos, serving as a means to enforce dominance.
Outcomes: The effectiveness of these coalitions is evident in the fact that females win 1,099 out of 1,786 observed conflicts against males. These findings suggest the power of solidarity in inverting traditional male-biased hierarchies in non-human primate societies.
Professional Women
Coalition Formation: In professional settings, women form coalitions through networking, mentorship, and support groups.
Mechanisms: These alliances provide mutual support, information sharing, and advocacy. Triggers for forming coalitions among professional women can result from experiences of sexism, glass ceiling effects, or other forms of professional discrimination.
Outcomes: Outcomes of these coalitions include increased representation in leadership roles, creation of more inclusive work environments, and establishment of policies addressing and mitigating gender-based discrimination.
While the methods and contexts differ significantly, both female bonobos and professional women employ coalition formation to amplify their influence, combat aggression, and counteract discrimination in their respective environments. In summary, solidarity is a strong driving force in the quest for power and equality, both in the wild and in the workplace.
- Bonobo females, much like their counterparts in professional settings, use alliances to maintain dominance and counteract discrimination, as seen in their collective vocalizations and coordinated attacks on male bonobos.
- Similarly, professional women form supportive networks through networking, mentorship, and support groups, creating mechanisms for mutual support, information sharing, and advocacy in the workplace.
- The power of female alliances transcends species boundaries, as both bonobos and professional women use coalition formation to combat male aggression and influencing power dynamics, whether in the African rainforest or the modern-day workplace.
