Gendered and Sexualized Bullying and Cyber Bullying

Drawing on semistructured interviews with Canadian Grade 4 to 12 students, this article uses a feminist lens to explore gendered and sexualized bullying and cyberbullying among children and youth. Our findings indicate that while boys’ roles and behaviors were frequently made invisible, girls were t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Youth & society 2020-04, Vol.52 (3), p.403-426
Main Authors: Mishna, Faye, Schwan, Kaitlin J, Birze, Arija, Melissa Van Wert, Lacombe-Duncan, Ashley, McInroy, Lauren, Attar-Schwartz, Shalhevet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
At risk populations
Bullying
Cyberbullying
Discrimination
Feminism
Gender
Gender inequality
Gender roles
Gender stereotypes
Girls
Harassment
Inequality
Peers
Sexualization
Socialization
Stereotypes
Surveillance
Violence
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Summary:Drawing on semistructured interviews with Canadian Grade 4 to 12 students, this article uses a feminist lens to explore gendered and sexualized bullying and cyberbullying among children and youth. Our findings indicate that while boys’ roles and behaviors were frequently made invisible, girls were typically spotlighted, blamed, and criticized. Girls’ experiences were often minimized and normalized by peers and linked to gender norms and stereotypes that were largely invisible to participants. The central theme of invisibility emerged, which encompassed and interconnected the three subthemes: (a) gendered stereotyping, (b) spotlighting girls, and (c) gender surveillance and policing. Gendered and sexualized bullying and cyberbullying were found to be part of a socialization process wherein girls come to expect gender-based aggression, violence, and inequality in their lives. This article makes explicit how bullying and cyberbullying are linked to societal norms that put girls at risk of harassment, violence, abuse, and discrimination.
ISSN:0044-118X
1552-8499
DOI:10.1177/0044118X18757150