Are there differences in the bullying experiences of girls and boys?

In the early 1990s, over 16,000 children from primary and secondary schools in Strathclyde were asked about bullying. According to the pupils' answers, two thirds of bullying was carried out by boys. While there is not a large difference in the type of bullying, the boys did tend to use more physical bullying, while girls were slightly more likely than boys to keep others out of things. It was also found that boys tended to be bullied by other boys. However girls in primary school were bullied equally by both boys and girls; those in secondary school more by girls than boys. Another difference was that boys in primary school were bullied more often by older pupils. In secondary school, both girls and boys were more likely to be bullied by pupils of the same age.
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Article details

A McLean (about 1994), 'Bullyproofing Our School - what do the pupils think?', unpublished report. Reference copy held by the Anti-Bullying Network.
There is also a summary of the project - A McLean, (1997) 'Bullyproofing Our School: what do the pupils think?', Topic 2, Issue 17, National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER). This article can be viewed here.
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Author details

At the time of this study, Alan McLean was Principal Psychologist based at the Education Department Psychological Service in the former Strathclyde Regional Council. His particular interests in the area of bullying include: links between bullying and motivation; the thinking processes and self-esteem of the bully.

He can be contacted at by email.
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