Sure, men engage in workplace bullying. The statistics show, however, that women can be terrors, especially when dealing with other women. One study by the Workplace Bullying Institute, for instance, shows that female office bullies — those who commit verbal abuse, sabotage performance or hurt relationships — tend to target other women more than 70% of the time. Male bullies, if nothing else, spread the misery equally and tend to target men and women at about the same rate.
Which of course leads to the question: Why do women pick on other women? Workplace psychologists have at least three theories:
Scarcity. As women advance, the number of spots available to them at the top of the workplace pyramid tends to tighten. When that happens, the bullying begins.
The boot camp. Many women believe they’ve struggled on their own to “make it” against the odds, so why give a lift to someone else? Let them struggle, too.
Reverse favoritism. Some women who are in positions of authority fear they’ll be viewed as too sympathetic to other women. The result: The women in authority tend to overcompensate and go rougher on other women.
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