A legal responsibility for something, especially for paying money if something goes wrong. It can also mean a person or thing that causes problems or makes a situation worse.
From *liable* plus the noun-forming suffix *-ity*, based on Old French *lier* (to bind) and Latin *ligare* (to tie). The idea is of being ‘bound’ by law or obligation.
In business, assets help you; liabilities weigh you down—yet in personal life we rarely do that clear accounting. Calling something a ‘liability’ is a sharp way of saying it quietly drains your energy or safety.
In employment and insurance contexts, pregnancy, caregiving, and gender nonconformity have often been treated as 'liabilities,' justifying discrimination or exclusion. This reflects how economic systems have devalued feminized labor and bodies.
Avoid framing people or their gender identities as 'liabilities'; reserve the term for specific legal or financial obligations or risks.
["risk factor","obligation","exposure","responsibility"]
When discussing workplace 'liability,' acknowledge that anti‑discrimination laws and advocacy—often led by women—have challenged the idea that hiring or promoting women is a legal or financial risk.
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