Bonnie Erbe

Why Do Women Bully Women in the Workplace? They're Easier Targets.

May 12, 2009 RSS Feed Print

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

So yet another new survey shows there's more bullying going on in the workplace. (What else would one expect during a recession?) More bullies are men, but when women bully, they're more likely to bully other women. According to the New York Times:

It's probably no surprise that most of these bullies are men, as a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, an advocacy group, makes clear. But a good 40 percent of bullies are women. And at least the male bullies take an egalitarian approach, mowing down men and women pretty much in equal measure. The women appear to prefer their own kind, choosing other women as targets more than 70 percent of the time.

On the question of why women would bully women (instead of nurturing them) my answer is, because they can. Wouldn't it be easier for most women to bully another woman than to bully a man?

And here's another question: Why, during a recession, is an organization called "The Workplace Bullying Institute" staying afloat, and how in the world is that organization finding money to fund studies such as this?

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Tags:
working women,
bullying

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no. The good prevails.

Jennifer of TX 1:46PM May 08, 2012

There's a very unsavory element (as if woman on woman bullying wasn't unsavory enough) to this problem that gets ignored with monotonous regularity and that's the sexual one. I'd have to say (based on 33 years in the professional workforce) that this is far and away the most frustrating type of sexual harrassment, primarily because it's nearly impossible to prove. (Ever try establishing motive without physical evidence? Exactly.) A large percentage of women are jealous in a non-professional credential sense of those whom they perceive as more desirable in a sexual sense, and the behaviors manifested by those affected in this way are positively devastating to the overall workplace environment. But aside from anecdotes and "wink wink nod nod" acknowledgement from senior managers when confronted with the topic, it's never, ever addressed. The "mean girl" theme is the stuff of legend among office professionals, yet most companies ethics or equal opportunity literature give it nary a paragraph of acknowledgement. And why? Because the political incorrectness of this topic is through the roof. Men see this and comment privately on incredibly difficult woman on woman bullying can make running a business, yet it goes on unchallenged. I wonder, do women admit to the existence of this dynamic and, if so, what in your mind is the best remedy when it's encountered?

steve of VA 6:53AM May 16, 2010

simply put the corporate world cares nothing about the health and well being of their employees, the bottom line is their profits and their reputations. if you report being targeted in the workplace their response is to get rid of you, so until our legislatures enact a bill to make bullying illegal employers will continue to close their eyes to this growing problem. the outrageous treatment i endured at the hands of my co-workers and immediate supervisor nearly cost me my life, i did not know at the time that there was a name for it, everyday i wondered what was wrong with those people, why were they so immature, why do they continue to taunt and intimidate me? i mean they really were relentless and cunning they would ridicule and low rate me right in my face and when i complained they would deny their actions and claim that they had no idea what i was talking about, as soon as they left the office they would continue taunting me by saying i had no proof and no one would believe me as long as they stuck together. these monsters are now on a campaign to make everyone believe that im crazy when in fact they are the psychopaths.what employers need to realize is not everyone is going to suffer in silence, or quit their jobs, some targets are going to fight back. i cant find anyone in my area that is willing to advocate on a state of federal level but, i wont give up, i have to get my story out there i want to prevent someone else from becoming a target. to those people out there that consider us to be whiners, i wish you could have lived through the pure hell i endured for nearly a year and then tell me how you feel, knowing that if you confront these liars, you will probably be the one terminated. there has to be a law.

courtney of SC 9:40AM November 21, 2009

Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.

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