Disrupting silences, unsettling intersections: the undiscussable matter of African women who bully other African women

Purpose This study aims to use intersectionality to investigate the simultaneous influence of race, gender, ethnicity, age and social class on African women leaders’ experiences of workplace bullying and career progression. Implications for gender equity are explored. Design/methodology/approach Using constructivist grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 African women leaders in South African public and private sector organisations. Data analysis followed the iterative process of initial, focussed and theoretical coding. Findings Findings revealed complex inter- and intra-group dynamics, with bullying manifesting within and across race, gender, age, social class and ethnic groupings. Intergenerational envy was apparent in the dynamics between older and younger participants. While class protected bullies who came from privileged backgrounds, it attracted envious attacks from those with lower social class origins. Ethnic identity informed toxic dynamics between bullies and targets. Participants’ career progression was negatively impacted, and gender equity became a casualty as participants either left employer organisations or avoided leadership positions. Originality/value While the gendered and racialised nature of workplace bullying has been the subject of research for decades, its intersectional nature remains under-theorised. Whereas inter-group bullying is well researched, intra-race and intra-gender bullying is not sufficiently explored in literature. This study extends intersectional workplace bullying literature and examines two undiscussables in South African workplace bullying scholarship – the bullying of African women by African women, and the insidious influence of ethnicity on workplace bullying.