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

When, in the 1990s, over 26,000 Australian children (8 - 18 years) were asked about bullying, their answers revealed differences between the experiences of boys and girls. Boys were bullied more often than girls, particularly in secondary school. While boys and girls were subjected to teasing and name calling almost equally, boys were more likely than girls to be physically bullied and threatened. According to the pupils' answers, girls were more likely than boys to be deliberately and unkindly left out of things. There is also a difference in the way they react to bullying. It was found that boys were less likely to admit to being bothered by it and, if they did, they said they felt angry whereas girls said they felt sad and miserable.
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Article details

K Rigby, 'What Children Tell Us About Bullying in Schools.' Available here or in 'Children Australia', (1997) 22, 2, pp28-34.
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Graph details

Some illustrative graphs are available to view by following the above link to Ken Rigby's online article.

Author details

Ken Rigby is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Psychology and an educational consultant at the University of South Australia. He has been involved in major studies of bullying in Australia and has published widely on this topic. For more information about Dr Rigby and his work see the bullying pages here. Ken may be contacted by e-mail.
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