Threatened by Her: Authenticity, Power, and Workplace Backlash

Becoming more authentic is widely celebrated as a marker of psychological health, yet for women in the workplace, authenticity can sometimes carry social and professional costs. As women become more self-congruent, set boundaries, exercise independent judgment, and become less willing to comply with unhealthy workplace dynamics, they may encounter gendered backlash, workplace exclusion, covert aggression, or attacks on their credibility. Drawing on research on authenticity, workplace bullying, gender and power, narcissism, and gendered backlash, as well as qualitative research from my dissertation on covert aggression by women in U.S. workplaces, this article examines why authentic women can become targets of workplace aggression and how authenticity, power, and organizational culture interact to shape these dynamics.