Being the only member of any given marginalized group in a room full of people can be stressful. You might feel outnumbered like the world is against you. This can be especially true in the workplace. If you’re part of a team where you’re the only one of a marginalized identity, then you might face certain prejudices. Let’s say, for example, you’re the only woman on a team of male computer programmers. 

The field is so male-dominated that this happens all the time. Maybe your teammates are perfect allies and you never have issues with them in the workplace. Or maybe you face daily microaggressions that appear small on the surface but actually have a huge impact on your sense of respect and self-esteem. If you’re constantly being mansplained to, you might eventually reach your breaking point. At that point, nobody could really blame you for standing up for yourself.