Gender stereotyping and bullying in Australia: experiences and strategies of female managers

There are many factors that contribute to the complexity of barriers that women face in their career advancement. Some female professionals face gender stereotyping and bullying in the workplace. Stereotypes influence the unequal sharing between women and men of working time, income and family responsibilities. They also constitute barriers to women’s career advancement and appointment to decision-making positions.<br><br>The focus of this study is on two of these factors: gender stereotyping and bullying. Gender stereotypes are the beliefs and attitudes that are presumed to distinguish between women and men (Rollero, Glick & Tartaglia, 2014), while bullying can be referred to as the repeated acts of an individual or group with the intention to harm an individual holding an inferior position of power (Goldsmid & Howie 2014). While these two separate issues can occur independent of one another and in combination, gender based stereotyping and bullying both form critical barriers to female professionals. <br><br>This study explores the experiences of gender stereotyping and bullying of thirteen senior managers in Australia (eight women and five men). It fills a gap in the literature by connecting women’s experiences to strategies to overcome the barriers and move ahead.<br><br>The strategies women in this study used to attempt to address gender stereotyping and bullying were education, networking, mentoring and behaviours such as adopting masculine leadership and communication styles and using impression management tactics such as physical presentation and dress.