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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallPeople can be judged differently for the same workplace gossip: a 2026 study series found that men who gossiped received lower competence and leadership ratings than women who did so. That is a finding about how observers evaluated gossipers—not evidence that men or women gossip more often. Other research looks at a different part of the interaction: how recipients judge and respond to people who spread negative gossip.
Are men and women judged differently for gossiping at work?
In a three-study series reported by the University of New Mexico on October 6, 2026, participants rated men who gossiped lower in competence and leadership than women who engaged in the same behavior. The result suggests that gender stereotypes can shape workplace evaluations, but it does not show that women gossip more, that gossip helps women advance, or that every observer will react the same way.
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What the 2026 studies examined
The first study followed 272 students in 63 project teams over a semester. The university summary reports that women who gossiped were perceived as more competent and more likely to emerge as leaders than men who also gossiped. Two additional studies used scenarios and U.S. worker samples. The positive effect for women did not appear in every study, while men consistently received lower competence and leadership ratings than women in the comparisons described. The journal abstract also reports lower ratings for men who gossiped, though the university summary supplies the sample and team counts.
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The measures concern how observers evaluated a person’s ability and leadership potential. They do not establish the frequency of gossip by gender. One example survey item in the university report was, “I criticized a teammate while talking to another work teammate.” That illustrates how gossip was framed in one measure; it should not be taken as a universal definition of workplace gossip.
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Who is being judged—and for what?
Studies on gossip can examine the person who spreads it, the person who hears it, or the consequences that follow. These are related questions, but their findings are not interchangeable.
| Research | Whose gender is considered? | What was examined? | Design and evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hetrick, Spoelma and Marchiondo, reported in 2026 | Gossiper | Competence and leadership ratings | Three studies: one semester-long study of 272 students in 63 project teams, plus two scenario studies with U.S. worker samples. The university summary does not state the latter sample sizes. |
| Farley, Timme and Hart, 2010 | Woman described as gossiping | Perceived emotional warmth and need to control others | Study with 129 participants; it did not directly compare male and female gossipers. |
| Journal of Business Ethics, 2024 | Recipient of negative gossip | Sender’s perceived morality and resulting social or career-related sanctions | Three studies examining recipients’ responses to negative workplace gossip. |
How recipients may respond to negative gossip
A separate three-study paper in the Journal of Business Ethics examines what happens after someone receives negative workplace gossip. Recipients judged gossip senders’ morality lower, and the studies report resulting social and career-related sanctions. Female recipients judged senders’ morality more negatively than male recipients in the reported studies.
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This is a recipient-gender result: it concerns the gender of the person hearing the gossip and their judgment of the sender. It does not show that female senders are judged more harshly, nor does it contradict the 2026 finding about observers’ competence and leadership ratings of male and female gossipers. The studies ask different questions and measure different outcomes.
What earlier research says about perceptions of women gossipers
A 2010 study by Sally D. Farley, Diane R. Timme and Jason W. Hart focused on perceptions of women described as contributing negative information. Among 129 participants, a woman described as doing so frequently was seen as less emotionally warm and as having a greater need to control others than a woman described as doing so rarely. Because the study compared descriptions of women rather than male and female gossipers, it cannot establish a gender difference between senders.
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What the findings mean for workplace decisions
The evidence points to a practical risk: when criteria for competence or leadership potential are vague, impressions of behavior may be filtered through gender stereotypes. University of New Mexico associate professor Andrea Hetrick said, “One of the main takeaways is that gender stereotypes don’t only tell women how they’re supposed to behave at work, they constrain men too.” She also said, “If you don’t have defined objective criteria, we’re more likely to lean on these subconscious stereotypes that we may have.” Both remarks appear in the university’s 2026 account.
For managers, the implication is to separate observable work outcomes from broad character judgments. When assessing leadership, use defined criteria and apply them consistently rather than treating a single instance of gossip as proof of ability or inability. The studies support attention to evaluation processes; they do not test a particular training program or establish that one intervention will eliminate bias.
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What remains uncertain
- Who gossips more often: These studies do not establish a general difference in gossip frequency between men and women.
- How widely the results apply: The evidence includes student teams, scenarios, and studies of workplace experiences, not every occupation, organization, or cultural setting.
- Gender beyond the reported comparisons: The sources reviewed do not establish how the findings extend to nonbinary people or other gender identities.
- Everyday gossip: Some findings specifically concern negative gossip, while the 2026 work evaluates gossip behavior and its effects on competence and leadership ratings. Conclusions should stay within the behavior and outcome each study examined.
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