The research for women on bullying at work is massive and disappointing, but how that problem has reached over into politics is blatantly obvious if it is looked at with open eyes. Women's groups have noted the sexist language and treatment from the mass media, but have failed to see their own shortcomings in helping this bullying and patriarchy along. Is there any doubt it exists? No, but where the blame is placed is wrong.
During the 70's the
women's movement was expected to show how women entering into management would show the better side of business with nurturing and intuitive management that would ultimately lead to multi-culturalism and diversity.
Things have not worked out that way for women or else the majority of
women would not still be in lower to middle management. The blame instantly goes to men as the ones perpetuating it,but women have chosen to adopt
the same hostile behaviors they complained about as they increased the management ranks in the corporate world, which stands at 40% today. The answer to this phenomena from many leading women's group is that men are reacting with increased hostility to the new competition from women, but the world-wide research doesn't back this thinking. With more women in supervisory roles, the complaints of
bullying and hostility come mostly from other women!
"Melbourne psychologist Evelyn Field says women bully just as much as men do, "but because more bullies are managers and more managers are male, more bullying is done by men. But you certainly get a lot of bullying from women and sometimes they behave more aggressively than males."
"Field, author of Bullybusting, a self-help book for children faced with bullying, is also writing a book on workplace bullying. According to information she has gathered from interviews for her new book as well as her own observations (speaking to groups of women), women often feel pressured to adopt male behaviours in the workplace to get ahead..."
Today,The New York Times reports from The World bullying Institute the main characterisitcs of supervisory women who bully other women in the workplace:
1) glaring at in a hostile manner
2) given the silent treatment
3) failure to stop rumors
4) rude and disrespectful treatment
Grace Lau, a Candian researcher rom the University of Waterloo, studied the situations that pit women against women in the workplace, and it involved a belief that they did not see themselves as belonging to a "group" and would continue to act as individuals in the workplace. She contends that this is the root of present day issues undermining the treatment of women.
The findings should be a wake-up call. Failure of women to support other women seems to be the pervading issue no matter which study you read. Many women claim they have to be extra-careful not to display "emotions" at work, etc., which only buys in to imitating that which they were already against!
Women have much to consider after having witnessed the 2008 election year. National Feminists groups have not led women in a productive way. Recent national candidate figures such as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin were ravaged by sexism from other women as well as men. Hillary Clinton,other than her own supporters,received direct sexists attacks from women in her own party...including leading figures who never objected to the sexist treatment until the election was conveniently over. Sarah Palin, in turn, was not protected by any leading feminist organization. Carrie Prejean's treatment shows the lack of cultural protection from any major women's movement. Carrie Prejean does not meet the standards for protection from other women.
In 2008, and continuing into this year, women may have realized for the first time how far they haven't come, and how out of touch they really are with other women. The Feminist Movement of old lost meaning. Perhaps it is good the old Feminists imploded, maybe they even deserved to considering our present day treatment of the woman who works for us, the woman who belongs to a different political party, and our failure to demand respect for a 21 year old beauty queen.
Any group that purports to stand nationally for women will be doomed to deserved failure until they can at least define the meaning of respect.
