The Hidden Cost of Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Staying Silent
I know what it means to push through because I did it.I experienced sexual harassment from supervisors. I watched male colleagues receive recognition for work I had done while my own contributions were overlooked.
And I kept going.Not because it didn’t affect me. Not because I was strong enough to ignore it. But because I couldn’t afford not to.
Like so many working women, I had responsibilities, bills to pay, and people depending on me. Walking away didn’t feel like an option. So I did what we’re often encouraged to do. I worked harder, stayed professional, and tried to rise above it.
But pushing through came at a cost to my health and well-being.
When Resilience Becomes Survival
Today, as a trauma therapist, I sit across from courageous men and women who tell me remarkably similar stories.
Professionals who once loved their careers now experience anxiety, panic, sleepless nights, physical symptoms, and an overwhelming dread of going to work. Some eventually resign from positions they spent decades building. And what troubles me most is how often they believe they weren’t strong enough to handle it.
But there’s a difference between being resilient and being forced to endure mistreatment.
Prolonged psychological stress can keep the nervous system on high alert. What begins as an emotional struggle can eventually affect concentration, physical health, relationships, and our ability to function.
Telling someone to “just push through” doesn’t address what’s happening to them.
The Power of Being Heard
One of the most rewarding moments in my work is helping people recognize that what they’ve experienced may be harassment, discrimination, or other harmful workplace behavior. I’ve witnessed the relief when someone finally understands that their distress is not a reflection of their worth.We begin exploring their options, rebuilding confidence, establishing boundaries, and helping them reclaim a sense of control.
Sometimes empowerment begins with realizing that you were never supposed to tolerate what you were experiencing.
A Question for Employers and Employees
We celebrate resilience, productivity, and professional success. But at what cost?
How many talented people are silently suffering because they cannot afford to leave? How many careers have been derailed because someone was expected to tolerate the intolerable?
Therapy can help people recover from these experiences, but it cannot make an unhealthy workplace safe.
Employers have a responsibility to take workplace harassment seriously. And employees deserve to know that their health, dignity, and well-being matter just as much as their performance.
I spent years believing I had to push through. Today, I understand that strength isn’t measured by how much mistreatment we’re willing to endure.
Perhaps instead of asking why someone couldn’t push through, we should start asking why they had to.