On screen, even 2023’s smash-hit Barbie showed the iconic doll expressing frustration with her supposedly picture-perfect world.
These depictions of women’s anger are helpful and healthy, Cox says.
But when women act upon their anger in real life, they can face a social penalty.
A 2020 study found women expressing anger at work were seen as less deserving of status and influence, while their male counterparts were not.
So, can women express anger at work and still get ahead? Yes, says life coach Yann Dang, who specialises in coaching senior women in male-dominated fields.
Women who people-please and don’t show negative emotion can progress to a certain level on the career ladder, but to make it to the top you need to rock the boat, she argues.
“Women are so good at learning the rules when we know what the rules are. But the rules in the corporate world are totally different.”
The key, she says, is knowing how to harness your anger in a way that comes across as authentic.