Despite their constructive intent, employees’ suggestions and concerns are often not enacted. In this paper, we consider the impact of voice enactment (and in particular, low voice enactment) on the voicer’s sense of belonging. Drawing on self-in-role theory (Kahn, 1990) and social belonging theory (Walton & Cohen, 2007), we argue that because voice employs and displays the self, voicers look to collective reactions to their voice—expressed through voice enactment—to inform whether the self fits in, is accepted, and is valued. We further argue that the effect of voice enactment on belonging is strengthened for women in majority-men settings due to their heightened experience of social identity threat. Data from active-duty marines (Study 1) and employees of a maritime service organization (supplemental study) showed that low voice enactment reduced belonging more strongly for women compared to men in majority-men settings. Data from a randomized controlled experiment (Study 2) further showed that the strengthened relationship between voice enactment and belonging for women in majority-men settings was mediated through social identity threat. Altogether, our work highlights the asymmetrical cost of low voice enactment for women in majority-men settings, as well as its importance for equalizing belonging in gender-skewed organizations.
