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Are
there differences in the bullying experiences of girls and
boys?
In a study which began
in 1990, over 6,000 primary and secondary school children
in Sheffield were asked about bullying. Their answers showed
that there is not much difference in the number of boys
and girls being bullied. However, twice as many boys as
girls admitted to bullying others. It was found that boys
tended to be bullied by other boys, while girls were bullied
by both girls and boys. Pupils' answers also revealed that
it was more common for boys to be involved in physical bullying
while girls were more likely than boys to be involved in
psychological bullying (such as ignoring someone or deliberately
keeping someone out of things).
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Article details
I Whitney and P Smith
(1993), 'A Survey of the Nature and Extent of Bullying in
Junior/Middle and Secondary Schools', in 'Educational Research',
Volume 35, Number 1, Spring.
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Graph details
'Percentage of boys
and girls (averaged by class and school) who reported being
bullied and bullying others during this school term' from
Whitney and Smith article above, table 1, page 8.
|
Junior/Middle
Schools |
Secondary
Schools |
|
Sometimes
or more |
Once
a week or more |
Sometimes
or more |
Once
a week or more |
| Been
bullied: |
|
|
|
|
| Boys
(N = 1271) |
28 |
10 |
12 |
5 |
| Girls
(N = 1352) |
27 |
10 |
9 |
4 |
| Overall
(N = 2623) |
27 |
10 |
10 |
4 |
| Bullied
others: |
|
|
|
|
| Boys
(N = 2152) |
16 |
6 |
8 |
2 |
| Girls
(N = 1983) |
7 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Overall
(N = 4135) |
12 |
4 |
6 |
1 |
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Author details
 Professor
Peter K Smith is Head of the Unit for School and Family
Studies, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, London.
He has been involved in bullying research for a number of
years and has published widely on this topic.
Peter Smith may be
contacted by email,
and the website of the Unit for School and Family Studies
at Goldsmiths College may be found
here.
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