Enakshi tells us about alpha females and the many challenges that they face. An exclusive for Different Truths.

“Always be careful of what you hear about a woman. Rumours come from either a man, who can’t have her or a woman who can’t compete with her.” ~ Anonymous 

Eons ago, women were looked down upon and treated as an outcast when they stooped to conquer all odds and rolled the dice of fate in their favour. Today, even though their endeavours still raise some eyebrows, the undefeated spirit of the women is enough to keep them going. This indomitable spirit of the women has earned them the title of an ‘alpha female’. 

The term alpha brings along some adjectives along with it. Some of them include being aggressive, bossy, strict, strong, confident, and determined to reach the summit. While one might ask what is wrong in being goal-oriented, there are several others, who believe that the right place for women is within the invisible yet strong walls of patriarchy. As ironic as it might sound, the women of today have built tough walls around them, the walls that reek of confidence and strength. Hence, according to me, there is nothing wrong in being an alpha female. 

In one of the research articles published in the year 2004 by Harvard Business Review, it was surveyed and concluded that alpha females are diplomatic, while alpha males are considered political. Though the tactics are the same and the purpose too, this bias still exists in our stereotypical society. When a woman decides to take up the role of a leader, she is envied, lied to, treated as an outcast and denied the respect that she deserves. Why might you ask? Just because she is a woman, and she apparently violates the right of the men to be the rulers of the world! Unlike the alpha men, an alpha female uses empathy as her strongest weapon to get the job done. Even though she, too, is a stickler for the rules, her way of asking her subordinates to complete the assigned task does not annihilate the dignity and the self-respect of her employee. While, on one hand, an alpha male’s quintessential strengths often come in their way of working because their colleagues find them intimidating and rude, the same strengths help them call the shots. It is just a matter of knowing how to get things done and understanding the need to speak the right words at the right time. 

Whether it is entrepreneurship or a usual job, women are facing the test in every field. But call it inferiority complex or the fear of losing the monopoly, men don’t seem to see eye to eye with women and end up talking ill about them behind their backs. The worst-case scenarios are when men work under a woman! I have read articles where researchers have felt the need to coach the alpha males because their colleagues find it difficult to work with them in harmony. Often alpha (male) bosses are worse than alpha (female) bosses. But that is not entirely true. Sometimes, even alpha females go beyond the set boundaries to get things done. Every person is different, and it is unjustified to say that women are any better than men. Yes, they definitely have a higher EQ (empathy quotient) but if push comes to shove, they can be as ruthless (or even more) as men! The debate between whether their behaviour is a sign of diplomacy or their innate talent shall never cease. But what we all know for sure is the fact that the efforts should be respected irrespective of the gender bias. 

Being a woman myself, I know for sure that the quality of empathy comes naturally to me. If my concern for my fellow teammates helps me create a conducive environment for work, I don’t think it is diplomacy but the talent to work in harmony. It is rightly said that haters are going to hate, and potatoes are going to potate.  Since the women in the work field are giving a tough competition to the menfolk, the criticism is also never-ending. What is sad though is the missing support and encouragement. Nevertheless, women are known to persist even when all the odds turn against them. Hence, we shall overcome, some day!

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Enakshi J

Enakshi is an educator, an author and a traveller. She loves to learn. Her writings have appeared in The Speaking Tree (Times of India), Woman’s Era, Alive, Infitithoughts, SivanaSpirit, Women’s Web, EfictionIndia and Induswomanwriting. She is an eminent book reviewer and she reviews books by Penguin, Rupa and Hachette India. Her stories and poems have been anthologised widely. She conceptualized two books- ‘Unbounded Trajectories’ and ‘Poison Ivy’.