In Australia’s school staffrooms, a quiet crisis is festering. Female-on-female bullying – subtle, psychological and often dismissed – is chipping away at trust, wellbeing and morale in a profession already stretched to its limits.
While physical aggression grabs headlines, the more insidious forms of workplace hostility –gaslighting, exclusion, and white-anting – are going unchecked. And with women representing approximately 72% of Australia’s teaching workforce and more than half of school leadership roles, this is an issue that one expert says demands much closer attention.
Award-winning workplace psychologist Vanessa Vershaw explores this topic in her new book, ‘The Sisterhood Paradox: The Psychology of Female Aggression at Work’, which explores the underlying causes of these behaviours, drawing parallels from evolutionary psychology and societal norms.
Below, The Educator speaks to Vershaw about the hidden harm of female-on-female bullying, its impact on school culture, and how leaders can build psychologically safe, accountable, and inclusive environments.
TE: You’ve highlighted how female bullying often flies under the radar in professional environments. What might this look like among female staff in K-12 schools, where collaboration and collegiality are essential?
Bullying among female staff in K-12 schools is often covert but deeply damaging—eroding trust, collaboration, and morale. Australian schools, already struggling with one of the highest global bullying rates, can become breeding grounds for toxic workplace behaviours that ripple down to students.
In female-dominated school environments, bullying tends to be psychological rather than physical—silent but insidious. Gaslighting, where victims are made to doubt their own reality, is a common tool. So is white-anting—subtly undermining someone's credibility, competence, or even personal life. Social exclusion, another favourite, manifests in unspoken exclusions from meetings, events, or critical conversations. More recently, fat-shaming and mobbing (where a bully recruits others to gang up on a target) have entered the mix.
At leadership levels, the bullying can turn overt—shouting matches, public humiliation, psychological abuse. The effect? A workplace steeped in fear, where manipulation replaces mentorship and toxicity spreads from staffroom to schoolyard. When adults model these behaviours, students inevitably follow.
Addressing this issue demands not just policy changes but a cultural reset—where accountability overrides passive acceptance and collegiality is more than just a buzzword.
TE: In Australian K-12 school settings where female staff make up the vast majority of the workforce, how can leaders identify and address covert bullying without fuelling harmful stereotypes or undermining team cohesion?
Schools can be political battlegrounds, where covert bullying flourishes under the guise of professionalism. How leaders tackle this isn’t just about policy—it determines whether a school thrives or sinks into toxicity.
A school’s failure to address bullying—whether among students or staff—reveals deeper systemic problems. Leadership must set the tone and refuse to let toxicity fester.
Want to spot and stop covert bullying? Here’s how:
- Name it – Define bullying clearly. Not every harsh comment is bullying, but psychological aggression—gaslighting, exclusion, white-anting—is real, and women often deploy subtler tactics than men.
- Face it – A zero-tolerance approach isn’t enough. There must be formal reporting channels, enforced accountability, and a clear stance that bullying will be cut out before it spreads like cancer.
- Change it – Build a culture of safety, inclusivity, and collaboration. Make teamwork non-negotiable, tie recognition to positive behaviours, and refine hiring processes to weed out candidates who don't align with a healthy workplace dynamic.
Leadership isn’t just about managing—it’s about shaping a culture where psychological abuse has no foothold.
TE: What steps can principals and department heads take to build psychologically safe environments where female staff feel empowered to call out toxic behaviours without fear of backlash or career harm?
Psychological safety isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the backbone of a healthy school culture. If female staff fear backlash for calling out toxic behaviour, the system is already broken. Principals and department heads must go beyond surface-level policies and cultivate real trust.
Here’s how:
- Take the pulse – Assess the school’s culture. Where is toxicity brewing? What’s enabling it? This isn't about gender—it’s about fixing systemic issues that allow covert bullying to thrive.
- Model fearless leadership – Staff need to know that when they report toxic behaviour, they’ll be taken seriously—not sidelined or dismissed. Make it clear that calling out harmful conduct isn’t just accepted, but respected.
- Expose hidden biases – Women often internalise bullying, blame themselves, or fear career repercussions for speaking up. Acknowledge this publicly. Change the narrative: speaking out is a strength, not a liability.
- Reinforce accountability – It’s not enough to have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If no one uses it, it’s useless. Leaders must actively encourage staff to seek support and ensure real consequences for repeat offenders.
Silence breeds toxicity. When schools normalise bravery, staff step up, and bullying loses its grip. That’s the goal.
TE: Given the emotional demands of teaching, how does unresolved female-to-female bullying contribute to burnout and attrition among educators – and what should system leaders be doing about it?
Unresolved female-to-female bullying isn’t just toxic—it’s a direct pipeline to burnout and staff attrition. Teaching is emotionally demanding, and when educators spend just as much energy navigating workplace hostility as they do supporting students, exhaustion sets in fast. Many women don’t report bullying, fearing career repercussions, retaliation, or simply believing nothing will change.
The numbers back it up: in female-dominated workplaces, women are more likely to be targeted. In schools, this issue is amplified, eroding morale and sending talented educators packing. The Australian Productivity Commission estimates workplace bullying costs the economy up to $60 billion annually, with burnout and absenteeism among women a major factor.
System leaders can't afford to ignore this. Here’s what needs to happen:
- Call it out – Silence fuels the cycle. Leaders must openly acknowledge workplace bullying and reinforce that toxic behaviour won’t be tolerated.
- Back whistleblowers – Fear of retaliation keeps staff quiet. Reporting mechanisms must be robust, confidential, and backed by action—not just lip service.
- Rebuild trust – Psychological safety isn’t optional. Schools must shift from reactive damage control to proactive culture-building, where educators feel valued, protected, and supported.
At the heart of every great school is a team of leaders who refuse to let toxic behaviour take root.
So here it is, better leadership builds better schools irrespective of gender.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, because when we fail our educators, we fail the students who depend on them.
‘The Sisterhood Paradox: The Psychology of Female Aggression at Work’ is due to be released 1 May, 2025.