Fondazione GRINS
Growing Resilient,
Inclusive and Sustainable
Galleria Ugo Bassi 1, 40121, Bologna, IT
C.F/P.IVA 91451720378
Finanziato dal Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), Missione 4 (Infrastruttura e ricerca), Componente 2 (Dalla Ricerca all’Impresa), Investimento 1.3 (Partnership Estese), Tematica 9 (Sostenibilità economica e finanziaria di sistemi e territori).
Open Access
Bullying emerges early in childhood and is prevalent in schools. Using Italian INVALSI data on primary students, we document gender differences in self-reported bullying victim- ization and perpetration across multiple dimensions. Boys show higher prevalence on both fronts. Exploiting quasi-random student allocation to classes within schools, we find that higher male shares increase girls’ reported victimization—particularly mockery and ver- bal insults—and reduce their well-being. These findings reveal spillover effects of violence from boys to girls as male peer share rises, highlighting classroom gender composition’s role in shaping early peer interactions and the need for caution when managing gender imbalances in elementary education.
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AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank participants in University of Turin economics seminar series, Collegio Carlo Alberto ”Colloquia on Health and Education”, Hitotsubashi University seminar series, Third Workshop on Gender and Education 2025 at Collegio Carlo Alberto, workshop Educational Interventions and Inequality 2025 in Montepulciano. We are also very grateful to participants in SEHO Saragoza 2025, IWAEE Catanzaro 2025, ESPE Napoli 2025, AEDE Milan 2025 conferences. This study is funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU, in the framework of the GRINS - Growing Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Project (GRINSPE00000018 – CUP E63C22002140007). The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, and the European Union cannot be held responsible for them. The authors declare that they have no relevant or material financial interests that relate to the research described in this article.
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