Vulnerability is the state of being open to harm, damage, or attack, either physically or emotionally.
From Late Latin “vulnerabilis,” meaning “wounding,” from Latin “vulnus,” meaning “wound.” It originally described the ability to be physically wounded and later grew to include emotional and social exposure.
In cybersecurity, “vulnerabilities” are weaknesses in systems; in psychology, they’re openings in our emotional armor. Strangely, showing vulnerability in relationships often makes trust stronger, not weaker.
Vulnerability has often been coded as a feminine trait, used to justify excluding women from leadership or high-responsibility roles. At the same time, women and marginalized groups have been structurally made more vulnerable to violence and economic precarity.
Use 'vulnerability' to describe situations or systems rather than essential traits of a gender, and recognize that anyone can be vulnerable in certain contexts.
["exposure to risk","susceptibility","fragility (context-specific)"]
Highlight that many women leaders and thinkers have reframed vulnerability as a source of connection and strength, not a justification for exclusion.
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