Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

James M. Brown

Abstract

Workplace incivility has been a focus of scholars since 1999 and a rising phenomenon among women within various organizations. Women represent more than half of the workforce in the United States, indicating that it is very likely that a woman will have a woman manager and/or employee at some time during her work experience. Researchers have demonstrated that women workers are very likely to experience workplace incivility during their work life more than men. Researchers have not yet established how workplace incivility impacts the female workers self-confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness when perpetrated by their female manager. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of female workers’ lived experiences of workplace incivility within an organization. Miller’s relational-cultural theory and Tajfel’s and Turner’s social identity theory were used to analyze the phenomenon and the Husserl’s 5 step process was used to conceptualize the framework in relation to the study. Using a descriptive phenomenological psychological method, data from semistructured interviews were collected from 12 female participants. The research questions explored the lived experiences of female employees relating to workplace incivility perpetuated by women managers and the impact it had on their self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-esteem. The results of these analyses indicated that mistreatment and rude behavior from female management towards female workers were negatively associated with workplace incivility. Social change may benefit from the results of this study by increasing awareness of workplace incivility among female workers and women management, creating an environment for positive relationships and change to occur.

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