Verbal abuse equal for both genders at workplace

A systematic review of the available literature has revealed that there is no significant difference in the prevalence of verbal abuse in the workplace between men and women.

Stephane Guay from the Institut universitaire de sante mentale de Montreal in Quebec, Canada, looked into all previous research on verbal abuse in the workplace that primarily took victims' sex into account.

After a rigorous selection process, 29 of the 90 identified studies were considered, most of which (24) were carried out in the health sector.

"The results demonstrate that the majority of studies (15 of 29) reported no significant difference in the prevalence between men and women," Guay noted.

This lack of difference can be explained by the fact the studies were conducted in the health sector.

Men conform to a female-dominated environment by adopting certain behaviours that the literature considers stereotypically feminine.

"For example, they use more often communication techniques and have a less aggressive approach to defusing violent situations compared to men in other sectors," Guay continued.

Among the studies that show significant differences, a majority conclude that men are more at risk (11 studies) than women (5 studies).

"One explanation is that in a female-dominated workplace, men are expected to adopt a protective attitude towards women, which makes them more vulnerable," Guay suggested.

Researchers also found that men tend to be more verbally aggressive when provoked while women tend to negotiate more.