Beyond ‘Mean Girls’: Women-To-Women Bullying At Work And What Leaders Can Do About It

Workplace bullying is often discussed as a gendered power struggle that centers around the narrative of men who are in authority positions abusing their power and influence in ways that lead to the mistreatment of women below them. That dynamic absolutely exists, but it isn’t the full picture. A growing body of research suggests that some of the most persistent and damaging workplace bullying experienced by women comes not only from men, but surprisingly, from other women. This stark reality may be uncomfortable to label, but it’s essential to address. More importantly, it’s important to understand that bullying between and among women is not rooted in them being inherently and uniquely unkind but speaks to a much larger and more critical issue that highlights systems and organizational cultures and structures that exist to reward competition over collaboration among women. Workplace bullying is a leadership issue, not a personality problem. Although not always blatantly clear, for leaders committed to building equitable and high-performing workplaces, who choose to ignore this pattern can pay a devastating cost.

Workplace bullying is defined as repeated mistreatment that can include verbal abuse, social exclusion, humiliation, and work sabotage. These conditions can interfere with an employee’s ability to perform in their workspace and inevitably lead to underperformance. Current surveys report that about 30% of U.S. workers have experienced workplace bullying, which translates to more than 50 million people nationally and millions more witnessing the abuse. Although similar studies have found that men and women report experiencing bullying at similar rates, examining how bullying operates within organizations and the associated gender dynamics becomes more complicated and shows distinct differentiations.

The Bullies Versus The Bullied

Studies show that men make up around 65% to 70% of workplace bullies overall, which researchers argue is in alignment with broader power disparities, as men continue to hold a majority of senior leadership roles. That said, women account for roughly 30% to 35% of workplace bullies. However, these statistics can obscure the significance of women’s participation in these types of behaviors and do not take into consideration the dynamics of how bullying is being performed by women. For example, similar research has also found that when women engage in bullying, they typically target other women in comparison to men who bully both men and women.

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, women bullies target women approximately 65% to 68% of the time, which is almost twice the rate that men bully women in the workforce. Coincidentally, men tend to target men and women more evenly. But experts argue that this does not mean that women are meaner at work than men, but that bullying among women is consistent and a symptom of larger organizational structures and patterns. This is especially true in environments where power, recognition, and advancement feel scarce.

What Drives Women to Bully Other Women in The Workforce

It’s important to keep in mind that workplace bullying does not occur in a vacuum, and organizational psychology and other research points to several systemic factors that make women-on-women bullying more likely, particularly in competitive or male-dominated industries. Scarcity of opportunity seems to be one of the largest driving forces behind bullying between women. When leadership roles are limited and women are underrepresented at senior levels, advancement can feel like chasing a constantly moving target with no foreseeable end while ice skating uphill. In these environments, some women may feel pressure, directly or indirectly, to distance themselves from other women or undermine their perceived competition.

There’s also the “Queen Bee” phenomenon in which women in senior roles adapt to male-dominated cultures by distancing themselves from other women, enforcing higher standards, or withholding sponsorship or mentorship to other women. Experts say this behavior is often fueled by perceived threats and serves as a defense mechanism or survival strategy, rather than a leadership style. Moreover, this approach to leadership is shaped by organizational norms and structures that reward assimilation over solidarity. This dynamic causes bullying between women to appear less visible. For instance, bullying behavior may look like subtle undermining, gatekeeping access to opportunities, exclusion from making important decisions, and even damaging another woman’s reputation.

What Bullying Costs Businesses

The impact of workplace bullying extends well beyond isolated episodes of discomfort. Bullying has been linked to disengagement, low morale, resentment, burnout, and ultimately decreased productivity and increased turnover. For women in particular, bullying has been associated with stagnated career growth and premature exits from organizations, which is seen more commonly in mid-career stages where leadership pipelines are most fragile.

While it may appear easier for leadership to ignore the issue or reduce bullying behavior to innocent “catfights” that will smooth over on their own, experts argue that this approach is both shortsighted and sexist and can be detrimental to a company’s overall bottom line. For organizations focused on retention, leadership diversity, and long-term performance, bullying between women represents a structural and potentially financial risk.

How Leaders Can Address Workplace Bullying

While professional development opportunities like conflict-resolution workshops and the obligatory “be nice and respectful” messaging are great, they can be performative and are not effective at addressing workplace bullying. Instead, bullying requires intentional and properly executed leadership action.

The first step leadership needs to take is to name the behavior and explicitly label it as bullying, both in policy and in practice. Naming this behavior also includes describing the many forms that bullying can take and how bullying behavior can disproportionately affect women. Many in leadership continue to not acknowledge or understand that behaviors such as exclusion, undermining, or chronic incivility can all be examples of bullying and can come at extreme costs.

Leaders should also incentivize inclusive behavior and foster a culture that is collaborative and authentically and equitably celebrates the accomplishments of all staff, rather than focusing on competition. Women should not feel that supporting other women jeopardizes their own advancement. Finally, accountability matters. When a culture has been created where individuals feel empowered to bully others because of their position or job performance, that is a clear indication that the organization has either directly or indirectly sent a strong message that results matter more than camaraderie and cohesion, a message that is disproportionately harmful to women.

Kicking the “Mean Girl” Myth to The Curb

Bullying between and among women is not a failure of sisterhood, but a distinct reflection of systems that make power feel scarce and support feel risky in the workforce. If companies and organizations want to see women be productive, thrive, and lead, it’s imperative that leadership intentionally create a culture where mental health and safety are protected, collaboration is rewarded, and success is not defined by who gets pushed out along the way. When women believe they have to compete for survival or to be seen and heard, rather than working together to lead and thrive, everyone loses.