By Kim Lungu
This is the year 2010 and women all over Zambia have made great strides in proving that they are capable of doing a mans job and do it even better.However the most callous boss a woman can have (at times) is another woman.Just like the character played by Merly Streep in the film The Devil Wears Prada.
It seems that many successful women have major unresolved issues that they feel the need to take out on those who work for them, especially if that individual is of the same gender.
For example Last week my sisters 4 year old kid broke his arm whilst at school.The school called my sister at the office telling her to get to the school quickly.She was in the middle of a meeting with her boss whom I shall call Mrs Banda.
Mrs Banda’s first response was ‘why can’t your husband go there? We have a lot of work to do here’.After an awkward silence she said ‘ ok go but get back here quickly’.
My nephew was taken to hospital and admitted.He was in so much pain that my sister did not even think to leave his side.The next day a driver from work came to the hospital to pick up my sister.My sister and the medical staff attending to the boy could not believe this. Especially that the boy was soon to go to threatre.
My sister called Mrs Banda to explain the situation but the response she got was-
‘I thought I told you to get back to the office yesterday. Besides there are nurses in hospital to look after your son’
This is just one example of how unreasonable and uncaring female bosses can be.
Women are by nature caring and nurturing but in the office they seem to want to mimic the classic male boss—tough and authoritative. In trying to do so they over do it and come out almost inhuman. With their cool veneer and imperial demeanor, these bosses don’t show much interest in their employees. Ultimately, they lose out in terms of motivation and retention of employees! People want to work where they are known and valued, and they give more when they are.
As Danny said, kapena ba boss aba balaking’a. Surely no one would demand that a mother leave her son in theatre so that some work may be done. Why wasn’t there anybody to fill in for this poor woman? Though the point about the husband was equally valid, both parents should have been there!
The article does have a point though i dont know what science proves about this theory you have given. But i know in most cases its true many women who have had female bosses have complained the same. Especially in a situation where the female is the overall boss. When she is deputy to the Boss their are usually caring towards those below them. THESE ARE FROM EXPERIENCES SHARED TO ME BY WOMEN. May be to have women themsleves share on the blog would be the best thing. Those who have been in the situation of having a female boss and hear there views.
It’s not about female bosses being beligerant but about how unprofessional a lot of professionals are in Zambia. Subordinates are treated like subhumans by bwana’s . Theres no sufficient employee protection against discrimination and unfair treatment. Some of these bosses in high positions in Zambia are very petty and combonic to the point where they hold ridiculous grudges. Even dressing better than them or having an accent will preclude you from things like promotions and even lead you yo be fired. Pa zzed chabe the discrimination is the work place is too much and theres really nothing you can do about it especially if your superior holds all the power.
Forced labour made money in olden days and still does today.
The article has hammered the piont quite well. And in most cases they do this just as a way of making their presence felt. I think to an extent they dom not really mean it but just dont know where to draw the line and end up overdoing stuff.
However, on the flip side, if you r lucky to get a nice female boss they can be very very good and in such cases they realy do surpass even the males
The reason why you find women to be so bossy is that they try so hard to prove that they can be better than men in ALL areas
Well if you don’t like how your boss treat you , just quit. Shame on you to allow your boss to treat you like that for a mere month end pay cheque. Sad indeed that your life has been reduced to that. Rule of thumb is always have options and treat your employer as just one of your many customers for your personal services. Don’t live like the ZCCM days where your employer was everything from housing, mealie meal , Kapompo , toilet tissue, bulbs , meat etc. I for one will never allow a boss to mistreat me whether female of male. I always have options at all times. And I keep sending out my CVs despite having a great job and I have a lot of Personal Jobs on the side going, especially in this day and age of the internet
Women please your comments.
Okay…yes, it is true… we be wicked! Kayanishani kaya.:-s
Of coz not all of them i have a wonderful great professional female Boss myself .Better be professional not tuchawa,this normally makes you vulnerable.Women will always compliment their bosses hair,dress,perfume,shoes even if they dont mean it,this makes some people become big headed:-b:-b:-b
this is funny. Australia has a new first woman prime minister.
Once a victim, likely to be a perpetrator. But the author needs more research. This sounds, hesty generalization.
Once a victim, likely to be a perpetrator. But the author needs more research. This sounds, hasty generalization.
Kim Lungu, the writer of this article is an ignorant woman whose world experience is obviously limited to Zambia.
I have worked in different places across the world including Zambia where women were in top positions and interacted and lead their subordinates with respect and efficiency.
I am sick of b*i*t*c*h*e*s like Kim Lungu who are jealous of other women’s successes.
bingo. LT this an excellent piece. i once worked for a female boss who was a pain on in my back side if you know what i mean. the lady was so domineering to an extent where if you do not compliment her like ‘ you are looking good maam’, she would sulk at you the whole day. she wanted tea to be made for her every 1 hour (not that i was employed to do this). in addition even just signing for foreign travel, hell would break loose. i will never understand why women bosses behave like this. what more a woman presido. kaya mwe.
How lazy can you get, LT? You couldn’t find/take a more appropriate photo to go with the story?
We should be celebrating the small strides we have made towards equality!
I agree with the article….when I was in Zambia my female boss asked me to go back to work a week after my caesarian section.She used to talk so condescendingly to all the other ladies.I guess she had a point to prove.I popped a bottle of champagne the day my husband took me out of my misery by relocating.
#14, LoL…you are certifying the article to be :)>- and accurate…WTF! We have a perfect example right there.
Ba PACT #16 did you want the author to send a picture of her boss? Women should stop trying to be men.Some of you even abandon your children for the sake of climbing the coperate ladder.shame on you! There is alot of intelligence in the world but very little love going round.
#16, you took the words off my fingers. I am not sure why we keep glorifying whitey in all situations. Here is how Mr.Banda behaved in Chipulukusu but this is analogous to Mr.Greenwood’s conduct in in a bioscope shown at the drive in on a backstreet of Birmingham? If we can’t pull examples from our society then we have no point, really.
Nonsense!
I strongly agree with the writer,women need prayers to redeem them from extrem evil.they tend to be worst in most cases.Just imagine the drug dealing scandals of late : only for the love of ben SEEN driving expensive cars,SEEN to be in power,miniskirts to be SEEN attractive etc.
Sorry for them for now..!
This is such a sexist article. WIth only one story leading to a grossly biased conclusion.:o
We are better bosses and all you lazy a*s*s*e*s can’t take it.
For other women supporting this article, shame on you. Continue accepting being marginalized and waiting for your cheating husband to come home.
I dont think you can generalise. The boss woman in the story is just a bad boss period. It in not because she is a woman. She probably treats all her subordinates be they male or female the same.
Guys please do some research to prove Kim wrong or right. She brought about a good topic. We need comments that are not emotionally ill bent. Instead let us call upon the women to give us there experiences. Probably we shall learn and be helped in our research.
Try unmarried,childless and over 40yr female boss, they are always angry , women are usually not good to each other especially in public institutions. of course not all female bosses are cruel but when you find one they can be hell. i usually lookout for a male service personel when i go to public institutions. women turn to give attitude and can just be funny, i have two cousines working at the same firm one being a manager and the other heading one of the departments, but i hear all the time from my junior cousin and some of her workmates on how they all fear my other cousine who is a manager. the two are not closely related to each other but are both closely related to me. women are sometime petty they sometimes dont like each ther for simply dressing better than the other. crazy
The politics of femininity and musculinity….! Can women do the same job on par with men… ?Absolutely…without doubt!! Parents should have equal roles in raising/looking after children. It is not feminine to stay with the child at the hospital…it is simply a responsibility that could be shared by any parents. What I fail to understand about this article is the generalised view that portrays women as opportunists trying to prove a point. Maybe this incident is based on two people that do not actually get on…boss/employee relationship? Choosing between work….and a child, this no brainer really…is it? No boss with the right management credentials will act in such a way and to take such a generalised view is simply sad!
I have noticed that mostly ugly women are very unreasonable when they put in such positions and behave in manner the article has been dispict.
To know that women can do men s jobs, I will challenge the women folk to take up atleast 40% of bumalaisha pa mugodi. Those office jobs are women jobs, that is what i have learnt here in USA. Men do men jobs, like construction and other production jobs. Banking , insurance,nursing ,teaching and other service jobs are for women. Myabe that is why the country is developed, because men focus on productive jobs and drive trucks not utu ma toyota corrolla, always ready for hard work.
People, put yourself in the shoes of these women bosses. Any unfinished work or unmet deadlines is not only a bad reflection on her as the boss, but may be seen as the incompetence “typical” of a female team leader. I can relate to the mother in this story while working for both male and female bosses. I think it depends on the individual boss and the industry you work in. Many times I had to stay home with a sick child or be dozing in meetings from a series of sleepless nights, miss after work activities, etc. Even the most supportive boss got frustrated, because at the end of the day the work has to be done and they will also be held accountable by their superiors. Despite having a masters and great support from my husband, I decided to be a stay home mother. I just couldn’t…
Shame on Kim Lungu. What ridiculous reasoning. It is hard enough for women in Zambia without her overreaching and over-generalizing remarks. If I am ever blessed with a daughter, I want to raise her in a society where being a woman does not come with a glass ceiling, gender inequality, and Kim Lungu BS. Anyone who has had or still has a good mother, sister, wife, aunt, woman in his/her life should be insulted by this ‘if it’s yellow it is a banana’ kind of reasoning.
Women generally make a unique boss. Let’s not get shadowed in maginalisation or gender. Problem is most of them get to the top by openning their legs. From university to manager in a huge corperate firm. See? Also because of menopause /periods they undergo naturally that takes them to hell during these times. Its no different wen you are kept by a single aunt. Women too, have a tendency to treat other women like rags & to men better. That is the reason why secretaries are women(majority). Had they been men, most women would get these jobs. For men,as always their hearts are soft and as a mandate,you need to treat ’em women tenderly coz they are flagile.However,they atke advantage & weaken menbosses by giving them the rear fruit that quenches even death-sex. Everything feminine is…
Every human being who does not diserve a job or got it on no merit, will always show bad leadership skills. Its a way of shrugging the thought inside themselves that -had it not been for openning ma legs or whatever, i wouldnt have the job. In driving a point to their subordnates, they would always enforce it wrongly & forcefully-worse when you a woman who apart from undeserving the job-you also have periods. While……………..???? I once worked with a woman who had no qualifications but my boss always protected her. He used to **** her in the office & was impregnanted by him. She still has the job amongest the qualified-so called degree holders.
most women in influential positions are very arrogant. balitumpa sana fye
This is a sexist article that must not be printed in this day and age. It assumes jobs re for men and that women are just doing men jobs. What a loser of a writer. Wake up and smell the coffee!
Not entirely true but in most cases such behaviour springs from insecurity and trying to prove a point. A woman boss wants to be acknowledged especially in Zambia where this arrangement is kind of new. If you have a weakness somewhere you will want to compensate for it by being cruel, stubborn (some people recently boasted that they were stubborn), headstrong etc. Remember that short man who is addicted to designer suits, high heeled shoes etc. He was very stubborn when he was in power, obviously to make up for his height ha ha ha!!!
I think this piece of aimless writing is sexist and opinionated……on top of it.. useless and again aimless.. what was the idea behind it, just filling up the pages of the site with content irrelevant?
(Booooring)….I am hungry, what time is it?
Yes, women can be extremly cruel especially to fellow women. They rarely wan to see another woman suceed especially if it’s to surpass them. It’s about time this mentality left them. Always try to help one another suceed.
Maybe it’s the cruelity of the men in their lives that makes them that way. They look at every woman as the potential “wapa mbali” of their men. Men,pliz love these women well,maybe they’ll spread the love even at the work place and make this world a beta place!
Mrs Banda should be sacked, she does not deserve to be where she is. She is inhuman..
Kim , well said. Even in political circles women will rarely vote for another women, coz of rivalry of competing and wanting to always being the best. Women like to talk/gossip about clothes, men and genral things and those seen to be better are side lined. Let opoortunities be given to the best.
Kim, this sounds like you work for a boss who handles everything.You havent told us if work for an which have a structure..coz your excuse was to be directed to a an HR dept who would have given you time off.This a problem you face when you work for a katemba type of company.No HR ,No union etc.
Kim, this sounds like you work for a boss who handles everything.You havent told us if ‘u’ work for an organisation which have a structure..coz your excuse was to be directed to the HR dept who would have given you time off.This is a problem you face when you work for a katemba type of company.No HR ,No union etc.Better be a full time house wife whats wrong with that,hence you will have more time with you children than for them to only see you on saturdays afternoon and sundays.
I haved had a female and male boss, the male was trusting and understanding, while the female would rather u lick her A.s.s. The female boos was so bad such that she didnt trust any female with their work. She only trusted those pipo who act stupid, they always ask the boss the same boring , stupid questions. i nver asked her any stupid question, and didnt get on well with her. My male boss would go on holiday and let me look after his work, but the female was the opposite, she would rather u are busy lickin her A,,,,s. There needs to be a change, Ladies u can be a good female boss and nice, nothing wrong with that.
No 14 do not attack Kim if you have worked in different places across the world then you would have come across what Kim is saying. Not all female bosses are bad but in most cases they tend to be difficult to work for especially to a fellow woman.
I cant wait to have a woman president in Zambia. Looking at the attiudes exhibited by bloggers and the writer of this myopic article, I envision a situation where issues would be seen in terms of gender and not leadership qualities. It is a person’s integrity, personality, intelligence and social skills that count and not GENDER. Kim you killed this story, you did not give this article the respect it deserved. Go back to the drawing board sister.
hee you guys…who does not know women? God nows them that they are a weak vessle. Women are a complicated creature. Offcourse they dont love each other but they alway goosip against one another. This is true even among sisters. I had two sisters who could not live together for a month without quarelling or fighting. A thing which was not happening among brothers. Go to churches, women have sects there, work place women have sects, politics women have sects. Its really sad but we have to understand them coz they are made like that. Thats why you have to love them so much so that they dont vent their anger on innocent people. Women a weak sex as the Word of God says.
I work with a female boss. Just to get permission to go to the hospital she will ask you a lot of questions. You end up telling lies cos when you tell the truth its an issue. Female bosses are bad.
Some of these women we see are not fully women!They are half women half male…check the private parts…its not that they want to be men..they are actually men at work…:)>-
Let us give them chance but there can be no gender equality its impossible we are different lets just call it gender equitywhere we are satisfied at both levels.