This Anti-Corruption Helpdesk brief was produced in response to a query from the European Commission. The Anti-Corruption Helpdesk is operated by Transparency International and funded by the European Union.
Query
How do gender and intersectional issues affect whistleblowing? What are the challenges, best practices and recommendations to create inclusive whistleblowing environments that empower everyone to speak up safely?
Summary
Whistleblower protection is vital for transparency, yet power dynamics and social inequalities often weaken it, particularly for those already facing structural discrimination, such as women, LGBTIQ+ individuals and people from communities that are ethnically minoritised or structurally marginalised. In many contexts, the barriers are not accidental but embedded in institutional design, where inaction and neglect function as deliberate forms of obstruction. Key barriers, such as the lack of access to adequate protection and support services, increase the risks associated with whistleblowing. A truly enabling environment for whistleblowers requires the integration of considered gender, social inclusion and intersectionality-sensitive approaches by all the main stakeholders in the design and implementation of all the key elements, including legal frameworks, organisations’ internal whistleblowing systems, regulators and other authorities’ external whistleblowing systems, protection and support frameworks, data collection and awareness raising. Enhancing the capacity of competent authorities, collaboration between major stakeholders, leveraging local resources, developing strategies for advocacy and social awareness can reduce negative impacts on whistleblowers, ensure access to necessary services and promote a more inclusive and just environment. These approaches aim to challenge structural inequalities within organisations, ensure greater protection for whistleblowers and foster a more accessible and equitable space for reporting corruption.
Contents
- Background
- Examples of cases of women whistleblowers
- Gender and intersectional dimensions of whistleblowing
- Integrating gender and intersectionality to foster an enabling environment for whistleblowers
- Conclusion
- References
Authors
Taymi Milán Paradela and Marie Terracol, [email protected]
Reviewers
Caitlin Maslen, Annie Healion and Marie Chêne
Date
31/10/2025
