The Costs and Labour of Whistleblowing: Bodily Vulnerability and Post-disclosure Survival

Abstract Whistleblowers are a vital means of protecting society because they provide information about serious wrongdoing. And yet, people who speak up can suffer. Even so, debates on whistleblowing focus compelling employees to come forward, often overlooking the risk involved. Theoretical understanding whistleblowers’ post-disclosure experience is weak tangible and material impacts poorly understood due partly lack empirical detail financial costs speaking out. To address this, we present findings from novel study surveying whistleblowers. We demonstrate how whistleblowers leave their role as result out lose both temporal resources necessary redevelop livelihoods post-disclosure. also show associated involving significant legal health expenditure rise. Based these insights, our first contribution new conceptual framing experiences, drawing feminist theory, that emphasizes bodily vulnerability families. Our second repositions form labour defending against precarity, which involves expenses, takes time, must be carried with depleted income. Bringing forth intersubjective aspect experience, shows survival whistleblowers, capacity speak, depend institutional supports or, in absence, personal networks. By reconceptualizing experiences this way—as material, embodied intersubjective—practical implications for whistleblower advocacy policy emerge, alongside contributions theoretical debates. Reversing typical formulations business ethics, turn extant ethical duty wrongdoing heads. argue instead responsibility protect exposed vulnerability, owed by those upon whose behalf speak.