Hit, Robbed, and Put Down (but not Bullied): Underreporting of Bullying by Minority and Male Students

Abstract

To tackle adolescent bullying and identify students most vulnerable to being bullied, it is essential to examine both occurrences of bullying behaviors and students' own likelihoods of reporting bullying. This study examines ethnic and gender differences in students' odds of reporting bullying using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, a nationally representative study of United States high school sophomores (N = 15,362; ages 15-19; 50.2% female). Compared to White and female students, minority (particularly Black and Hispanic) and male students report comparable or greater experiences of bullying behaviors (such as being threatened, hit, put down by peers, or having belongings forced from them, stolen or damaged), but are less likely to report that they have been "bullied." These findings point to racialized and gendered differences in reporting bullying experiences such that indicators of "weakness" in peer relations may carry a greater stigma for minority and male students.

Keywords: Bullying; Gender; Race; School violence; Victimization.