By Vanessa Vershaw
Earlier this year, I had one of those pinch-me moments—sitting on stage in Davos, Switzerland, representing the APAC region at the 2025 World Woman Foundation event. Up on that mountain, as part of a side event to the World Economic Forum (WEF) AGM, I got to talk about advancing gender equality.
I was the only Australian woman on a three-person panel for the APAC Equality Moonshot, and my job was to highlight Australia’s progress (or lack of it) in diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI). It was both humbling and nerve-wracking, especially considering the hard truths I had to share.
Here’s the bottom line: progress for women hasn’t just stalled—it’s actually taken some backward steps in areas. And a big part of the problem isn’t just external hurdles; it’s how some women treat other women at work.
Things like exclusion and outright bullying are slowing careers down and keeping women from lifting each other up in an already tough environment. Despite a widespread polarity in views on what researchers are calling a ‘complex social phenomenon”, the evidence on the issue shows just how much it is alive and kicking.
Putting pen to paper
It’s why my decision to write a book about female bullying was personally and professionally challenging on so many levels. I had been warned that I would be viewed as a traitor for talking about it and potentially be ‘voted off the island’. I was told that if I raised the topic, it might be perceived as derailing women’s progress.
I was also confronted by some perplexed reactions wondering why I would write a book about an ‘over-dramatized situation that’s been blown way out of proportion’ (by the way, in general, it’s only the women who have experienced it who really feel the pain of it!)
The truth is that the “sisterhood ceiling” is a sneaky but real barrier that arises when women undermine each other in professional spaces. These actions, often brushed off or ignored, hold us back from achieving true gender equality. What’s worse, a lot of people won’t even admit this is happening or recognize how much damage it causes.
Several wake-up calls led me to write the book. Watching Australia’s gender equality efforts stall over the past decade was a big one. A survey from 2023 revealed that a shocking 59% of Australians thought gender equality was already a done deal. Add in the pandemic, which rolled back progress, and it’s clear things are off course.
Women bully women more than they do men
As a workplace psychologist, I’ve seen the toll female bullying takes. I’ve worked with women dealing with mistreatment from other women—and seen how it affects their mental health. One of the hardest moments was losing a client to suicide, an awful reminder of how bad bullying can get.
On average studies show that women are 30% more likely than men to be bullied at work, and when women bully, they target other women 70% of the time. The emotional fallout is devastating, sometimes tragically leading to suicide. Why aren’t we talking about this? Well, here’s why:
- We don’t really understand it. Female workplace aggression often flies under the radar. Tactics like gaslighting, spreading rumors, or mobbing (i.e. instructing others to ganging up on someone) aren’t always obvious. Plus, the word “bully” has become a catchall for all kinds of behavior, which makes it harder to pinpoint the real issues and type of aggression at play.
- It’s a taboo subject. Bringing it up risks playing into tired stereotypes about women being “difficult” or bad leaders. Research shows women who clash with female colleagues are judged more harshly than men and are less likely to get career opportunities. So, most women stay silent—it feels like a lose-lose situation.
- Women are suffering in silence. Research shows that women are 93% more likely than men to deal with burnout and extreme stress at work, but they’re less likely to take a break for mental health reasons. By not speaking up, they’re carrying the burden alone, which affects both their personal lives and career growth.
Addressing this isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s smart for business, too. Breaking down gender barriers could add around $128 billion to Australia’s economy each year by smashing outdated norms and fully tapping into women’s leadership potential. Tackling female bullying could very well be the game-changer we need to get things back on track.
When I stood on that stage in Davos, the response was overwhelming. Women came up to thank me for talking about what many consider the “elephant in the room.” Julia Dudenko, a global leader in responsible AI and cybersecurity, summed it up beautifully when she said – the sisterhood has the power to create profound change when women stand together for a greater cause.
What’s clear to me is we’re more ready than ever to break down barriers, lift one another up and create a world where women can get off the sidelines to lead and thrive together.
Vanessa Vershaw is the author of ‘The Sisterhood Paradox: The Psychology of Female Aggression at Work’ (Publish Central $34.95 AUD). She is an elite high-performance workplace psychologist and trusted advisor to executives and key decision-makers of ASX-20 and Fortune 100 companies globally. A champion for social justice and gender equality, Vanessa won the Momentum Trailblazer of the Year award for her work empowering women to reach for the stars and create the life and careers they dream about. This led to her representing APAC and speaking at the 2025 World Woman Foundation in Davos, Switzerland. Find out more at https://www.vanessavershaw.com/. Follow Vanessa on Facebook and Instagram, connect with her on Linkedin, and subscribe to her Youtube Channel.
