| Aggression is a natural component of human interaction, and in interfemale relations, indirect aggression is most commonly observed, using such methods as exclusion, gossip, snide remarks, or subtle “putdowns” to attack an opponent or competitor. Indirect aggression has not been widely studied nor understood because it is challenging to measure and define because the attacker's identity usually remains unknown and her tactics are often subtle and somewhat clandestine.; This dissertation, an ethnographic field observation involving semistructured interviews, was designed as a hypothesis-generating project with the hope of attaining better means of measuring and categorizing patterns of indirect competition among women. Thirteen female employees of an investment bank in San Francisco, California, participated in the study.; As expected, it was found that women commonly used indirect strategies to compete against one another. This competition was reported by the participants to be isolating, undermining, and was characterized by a general lack of trust among them, which seems to be the basic ingredient fueling much of their hostility towards one another. Unexpectedly, however, it was also found that the environment itself sets the tone: in this case, a male-dominated microculture characterized by open hostility towards women on occasion and implicit hostility in many instances. In this environment, not surprisingly, women are essentially “set up” to enforce the preexisting rules of behavior that maintain the status quo of male dominance. Hence, women are not gaining real status as they “step up the ladder.” At best, they are regarded as “token” success stories and used against other women who are less fortunate. In the investment banking environment of this study, women were largely isolated and excluded from the male fraternity. So, we find, 35 years after the Women's Movement, at least in this business setting, little about women's competitive strategies has changed. They are still fighting in the service of a male-dominated system and unable to focus on finding their own access to power. |
