Watch CBS News

Why Do Women Bully Women In The Workplace? They're Easier Targets.

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?

Check out our political cartoons.

--Read more by Bonnie Erbe.

--Read more from the Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

--Read more about working women.

By Bonnie Erbe

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.