Good Ol’ Boys, Mean Girls, and Tyrants

Abstract

Bullying in higher education is an increasingly common phenomenon that negatively affects organizational climate, completed work’s quality and quantity, and students’ educational experiences. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of women adult educators who were targets of bullying. Six themes emerged from the composite participant experiences as well as survival strategies for averting bullying and lessening its impact on personal and institutional well-being and ways to navigate hostile workplace environments.

Women Academics’ Learning as a Result of Being Bullied

“…Our findings on the role of emotion in transformative learning resonate with the literature (Dirkx, 2006; English & Irving, 2012; Mälkki, 2019). Sarah now takes “one step back so that [she’s] not as [emotionally] involved.” This emotional distancing confirms previous research (Hollis, 2015; Lester, 2009; MacIntosh et al, 2010; Sedivy-Benton et al, 2014).…”

“…Sarah now takes "one step back so that [she's] not as [emotionally] involved." This emotional distancing confirms previous research (Hollis, 2015;Lester, 2009;MacIntosh et al, 2010;Sedivy-Benton et al, 2014).…”

“…She is addressed as “Miss,” “Ms,” or “Mrs” while her male colleagues and students are addressed as “Dr.” She learned that academia was not “sacrosanct, but an American workplace that did not exist apart and superior to the outside world” (p. 42). Sedivy-Benton et al, (2014) briefly mentioned “survival strategies” that women used to counteract bullying, from “protesting.... documenting and reporting incidents, to avoidance, and ultimately to leaving an institution” (p. 40). Emotional detachment is another learned coping strategy (Hollis, 2015; Lester, 2009; MacIntosh et al, 2010; Sedivy-Benton et al, 2014).…”

“…Sedivy-Benton et al, (2014) briefly mentioned “survival strategies” that women used to counteract bullying, from “protesting.... documenting and reporting incidents, to avoidance, and ultimately to leaving an institution” (p. 40). Emotional detachment is another learned coping strategy (Hollis, 2015; Lester, 2009; MacIntosh et al, 2010; Sedivy-Benton et al, 2014).…”

“I don’t even recognize myself anymore”: An autoethnography of workplace bullying in higher education

“…Additionally, intra-gender bullying is more common than bullying across genders (McCormack et al, 2018; Misawa et al, 2019). Positionality plays a role in the bullying process, as bullies choose targets who they may view as marginalized, less powerful, or defenseless (Sedivy-Benton et al, 2015; Wang and Hsieh, 2016). The power imbalances, as related to positionality, that emerge in workplace environments further impact the instances of bullying and incivility for targets viewed as minorities or less powerful in some way (Misawa, 2015; Samnani, 2013).…”