The hidden face of violence: professional women and Gender-Based Violence

I RECENTLY came across a powerful social media post by Rakhi Beekrum that reminded us of the many forms of gender-based violence. It struck me how easy it is to fall into the habit of equating GBV only with physical harm.

The truth is far wider and far more complicated.

Violence against women does not always leave physical scars and bruises. Sometimes it leaves a woman sitting in a senior position feeling small and alone. Sometimes it follows her home and strips her dignity behind closed doors. Sometimes it enters the boardroom wearing a suit and tie.

As societies push for more women in leadership roles, in STEM fields and in positions where they have historically been excluded, their visibility comes with a cost. Professional success often exists alongside a growing vulnerability to subtle and overt forms of violence.

A woman can chair a meeting in the morning, negotiate a multimillion-rand contract in the afternoon and then go home at night to a partner who uses emotional manipulation, coercive control or financial deprivation to keep her in a silent struggle.

The contradiction is astonishing but real. The United Nations reports that one in three women across the world will experience violence in her lifetime, but these numbers do not capture the emotional strain, intimidation and psychological control many professional women endure in theshadows, silently.

In workplaces across the globe, women often face environments configured to test them.

They navigate male egos that bristle at female authority. They confront subtle exclusion, sidelining and the well-documented “emotional tax” carried by women of colour in corporate spaces. Boston Consulting Group’s 2024 research shows that women who break into male-dominated fields struggle to highlight gender pay gaps and discrimination. The workplace becomes a quiet battlefield where a woman’s competence is questioned, her authority is resisted, and her presence is treated as an intrusion.

On top of this, professional women also deal with a form of gender-based violence that is seldom acknowledged. Extensive research reports that female-targeted workplace bullying often stems from competition, identity threat and internalised gender hierarchies. It is not always men who harm women in professional spaces.

Sometimes it is other women who undermine them, isolate them and chip away at their confidence. This results in emotional distress that is as harmful as physical harm and far more likely to be dismissed.

The situation becomes even more complex when we remember that the workplace is only one arena. Many professional women return home to households where traditional gender roles remain firmly intact. The social construction of “the good woman” or “the accommodating wife” stands in stark contrast to her corporate identity.

The Indra Nooyi story captures this tension with unsettling clarity. When Nooyi arrived home to share the news of her appointment as CEO of PepsiCo, her mother asked her to go out and buy milk before she was permitted to speak. Her professional triumph was overshadowed by the expectation that her domestic responsibilities came first. In many South Asian and African contexts, similar stories unfold daily. A woman may be applauded in public but subordinated in private.

These contradictions have far-reaching consequences. The International Labour Organisation notes that more than half of women in professional roles report experiencing some form of harassment during their careers. McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace study (2024) highlights that women leaders are leaving organisations at the highest rate ever recorded, driven by burnout, devaluation and the emotional violence associated with being doubted, dismissed or undermined. Professional women sit at the intersection of ambition and expectation, striving to advance while being pulled back by patriarchal norms and power dynamics that intensify as they rise.

It is important to recognise that GBV against professional women is not a separate problem from GBV in general. It is an extension of the same power imbalances. Patriarchy does not disappear when a woman earns a title or occupies a corner office. It shifts shape. It becomes refined. It presents itself as performance reviews that strip confidence, comments that belittle leadership style, exclusion from key networks, or constant demands for proof of competence.

It becomes emotional neglect at home or resentment from a partner who struggles to cope with her success. It becomes an identity struggle where the very act of a woman stepping into her power triggers backlash.

Some women manage this reality with incredible strength. Others carry the burden quietly because they fear being labelled problematic, emotional or difficult. Many internalise the harm and convince themselves that discomfort is part of the journey. The silence surrounding professional women’s experiences of GBV makes the problem even harder to address.

 Policies focus heavily on sexual harassment, which is vital, but emotional abuse, coercive control and psychological manipulation remain under-recognised in corporate systems. There is a clear need for stronger definitions, stronger reporting systems and stronger support structures for women whose pain cannot always be captured in policy language.

As more women enter leadership roles, it becomes essential to acknowledge the risk that comes with visibility. Empowerment without safety is an incomplete project. Transformation withoutemotional protection is shallow.

At the same time, there is an opportunity. More organisations are recognising the importance of gender-responsive environments. Leadership programmes increasingly incorporate emotional intelligence, diversity training and anti-bullying frameworks.

Younger generations are more vocal in challenging harmful behaviours. Society’s understanding of violence is shifting from physical to relational, emotional and structural. Professional women are sharing their experiences publicly, refusing to minimise their pain, and advocating for workplaces that uphold dignity.

The conversation must continue. Violence against women cannot be addressed only at the level of physical harm. It lives in the looks that dismiss, the voices that silence, the systems that exclude and the homes that enforce outdated expectations. Professional women are often celebrated for breaking ceilings, but few acknowledge the shards they step over to get there.

Recognising the hidden forms of GBV is not an act of pessimism. It is an act of responsibility. The fight for women’s empowerment must include a world where a woman’s success does not increase her exposure to harm. Professional women deserve more than applause.

They deserve safety, respect and environments that honour their full humanity.

Dr Aradhana Ramnund-Mansingh is the manager, School of Business, Mancosa; empowerment coach for women and former HR executive.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media. 

THE POST