What is Bullying and How Does It Differ in Boys and Girls?

• An intentional act. The child who bullies wants to harm the victim; it is no accident.
• Characterized by repeat occurrences. Bullying is not generally considered a random act, nor a single incident.
• A power differential. A fight between two kids of equal power is not bullying; bullying is a fight where the child who bullies has some advantage or power over the child who is victimized.

Strategies students use to bully others:¹

• Physical - hitting, kicking, beating up, pushing, spitting, property damage, and/or theft.
• Verbal - teasing, mocking, name calling, verbal humiliation, verbal intimidation, threats, coercion, extortion, and/or racist, sexist or homophobic taunts.
• Social - gossip, rumor spreading, embarrassment, alienation or exclusion from the group, and/or setting the other up to take the blame.
• Cyber or electronic - using the Internet, email or text messaging to threaten, hurt, single out, embarrass, spread rumors, and/or reveal secrets about others.

• Boys tend to be physically aggressive.
• Boys may be more accepting of bullying than girls.
• Boys are more likely to both bully and be bullied than girls.
• Girls tend to bully other girls indirectly through peer groups. Rather than bully a targeted child directly, girls more often share with others hurtful information about the targeted child.
• Girls experience sexual bullying more often than boys (for example, spreading rumors about sexual activity or being targeted as the recipient of sexual messages.)

1. Shelley Hymel, Susan M. Swearer. Bullying: An age-old problem that needs new solutions.
2. Tanya Beran. Bullying: What are the Differences between Boys and Girls and How Can You Help?