Intervening in Workplace Bullying: The Role of Perpetrator Gender and Gender Norm Conformity in Shaping Intervention Recommendations

Abstract

Gender norms may influence how interventions to workplace bullying are assessed. This study examines whether the gender of a workplace bullying perpetrator and the alignment of their behaviour with traditional gender norms, influences the approval and perceived necessity of proposed interventions to workplace bullying. A 2 x 2 x 2 within-subjects experiment presented 205 participants with eight vignettes that varied perpetrator gender (male vs. female), behaviour type (masculine vs. feminine), and advice type (fix-the-person vs fix-the-system). Participants rated intervention approval and necessity on 7-point Likert scales. Repeated measures ANOVAs demonstrated that female perpetrators exhibiting masculine-congruent bullying behaviours received higher approval and necessity ratings for fix-the-person interventions than male perpetrators exhibiting the same behaviour. Male perpetrators exhibiting feminine-congruent bullying behaviours received higher necessity ratings for fix-the-person interventions than female perpetrators exhibiting the same behaviours. Limited support was found for the prediction that gender-congruent bullying behaviours would lead to greater support for system-level interventions. These findings suggest that responses to workplace bullying may be influenced by gender norm conformity, with important implications for organisational policy and gender equity.