Women's experiences of workplace bullying: A content analysis of peer‐reviewed journal articles between 2000 and 2017

Abstract

Bullying has been a serious social issue in contemporary society. Traditionally, bullying has been examined in various social contexts and different populations including academic, community, and workplace settings. In recent years, although there has been an increasing number of publications about women's experiences of harassment and sexual assaults at work, there has not been much research that specifically focuses on women and women's experiences of workplace bullying. The purpose of this article was to explore women's experiences of workplace bullying from a content analysis of the literature published between 2000 and 2017 on workplace bullying. While 180 peer-reviewed published journal articles were initially identified, 53 of them met the inclusion criteria for the study. Four main themes emerged: 1) women's health, 2) social relationship, 3) work environment, and 4) victimization. Discussion of the findings and implications for research and practice for adult education, HROD, and workplace education will be provided.