General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Women Are Bullies At Work [View all]antigone382
(3,682 posts)And while the 38% of bullies who are female overwhelmingly target women, the 62% who are male target both genders at an almost equal rate (taking into account the margin of error). You can read the summary of the original study's findings here: http://www.workplacebullying.org/wbiresearch/2010-wbi-national-survey/
This seems to confirm that women are recognized as the safer target, and the article confirms this:
Why are we picking on our kind? Well in some ways, it is because we are own worst enemies. One reason women choose other women as targets is probably some idea that they can find a less confrontational person or someone less likely to respond to aggression with aggression, said Gary Namie, research director for the Workplace Bullying Institute.
Now why might a woman be perceived as less aggressive or confrontational? Moreover, as the article describes it a large reason that female bullies target other women relates to their perilous position in relation to men in the workplace:
Now, this behavior is partly because it took women such a long time to make progress in the workplace and we dont want to go backwards but this is actually really hurting us. According to Catalyst, women make up more than 50 percent of management, professional, and related occupations but only 15.7 percent of Fortune 500 officers and 15.2 percent of directors were women. This lack of support is part of the problem.
(snip)
Michelle Duguid, PhD, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Olin Business School and author of Female Tokens in High-prestige Work Groups: Catalysts or Inhibitors of Group Diversification? identifies two forms of value threat she thinks affect the behavior of female tokens in high-status work groups in the context of promotion and selection competitive threat and collective threat.
Competitive threat is the fear that a highly qualified female candidate might be more qualified, competent or accepted than you are, Duguid writes. Women also might be concerned about bringing in another woman with lower qualifications, who could reinforce negative stereotypes about women and impact others impressions of them. This is collective threat.
The woman bullying program is really due to the bullying. A study from the Netherlands found that if a woman was in a sexist environment she was far more likely to behave like an alpha female or Queen Bee. The woman would actually become more sexist than her male counterparts as a result. These women are concerned that if they are seen to be helping other women rise to the top or supporting other women in the workplace, they will be derided by the men at work, and will be seen as operating counter to the culture rather than acting like one of the boys, according to research. [/i}
http://www.businessinsider.com/women-are-bullies-at-work-2013-6
So in sum, this article seems to make the case that women are bullies to other women at least partially because they feel vulnerable about their gender in the workplace and are anxious to maintain a positive perception among their male coworkers. I don't assert or deny that this is the case, but if your conclusions are not in line with the data or the conclusions presented in article, you cannot very well use the article to support your position.