Risk is the possibility that something bad or harmful may happen, especially when there is uncertainty. People take risks when they do things that could bring both rewards and danger.
From French *risque*, from Italian *risco* or *rischio*, likely from a word meaning “danger from a cliff or reef” in seafaring. It entered English in the 17th century along with modern ideas of probability and insurance.
Risk started as a sailor’s word for hidden rocks that could wreck a ship—a perfect picture of unseen danger. Modern finance and medicine still treat risk like that: not guaranteed disaster, but a chance of hitting something you can’t fully see.
Discourses of risk have sometimes framed women as inherently risk‑averse or overly emotional, while celebrating risk‑taking in men, especially in finance and entrepreneurship. At the same time, women have been exposed to unacknowledged risks in workplaces, reproduction, and violence.
Avoid stereotyping risk preferences by gender. When discussing risk exposure or management, consider how gender roles and power structures shape who bears which risks.
["uncertainty","hazard","chance of loss"]
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