Most Bullies are Men, But Women Tend to Target Other Women
In the legal profession, as in the world of work in general, women are underrepresented in top-level positions.
And one reason why may be that they are the target of bullying, according to a lengthy article in the New York Times. Bullying behavior is considered to include not only yelling and sabotaging others but ongoing episodes of rudeness, “the silent treatment” and failing to deny false rumors being spread about others.
As others focus critical attention on them, women in leadership positions have to work much harder for positive recognition than male counterparts, according to Catalyst, a nonprofit research organization. And, no matter what they do, it’s “never just right,” the Times reports.
“If women business leaders act consistent with gender stereotypes, they are considered too soft,” Catalyst writes in a 2007 study. “If they go against gender stereotypes, they are considered too tough.”
Meanwhile, although men account for about 60 percent of workplace bullies, they tend to target other men and women on an equal footing. Women, by contrast, target other women more than two-thirds of the time, the newspaper reports, relaying information from the Workplace Bullying Institute.
