Have you ever sat in a meeting feeling like everyone else belongs there except you? Have you downplayed your achievements, convinced that luck got you where you are instead of your skills? If these feelings sound familiar, you're experiencing what psychologists call imposter syndrome. And if you're a woman, you're facing this battle at much higher rates than your male colleagues.
Across 115 effect sizes and over 40 thousand participants, women scored higher than men with a mean effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.27 when it comes to imposter syndrome. This isn't just a small difference. 43 percent of young women (age 18 to 29) report that feelings of professional self-doubt describe them well compared to 36 percent of young men. A recent study of 4,000 adults revealed that 72% of women have experienced imposter syndrome in the workplace, compared to 63% of men.
What exactly is imposter syndrome? It's that persistent feeling of being a fraud despite clear evidence of your competence and achievements. You might think you fooled everyone into believing you're capable when you secretly fear being exposed as incompetent. According to research, nearly two-thirds (62%) of knowledge workers worldwide experience imposter syndrome, but women face this challenge with unique intensity and frequency.
Why Women Bear the Heavier Burden
The reason women struggle more with imposter syndrome isn't because we're naturally less confident. The problem runs much deeper than individual psychology. For many women, feeling like an outsider isn't an illusion, it's the result of systemic bias and exclusion.
Women often work in environments that weren't designed for them. Corporate workplaces were largely designed by and for white men. When you're operating in a system that wasn't built with you in mind, it's natural to question whether you truly belong there.
The statistics paint a clear picture of this challenge. An internal study by Hewlett Packard reportedly found that men apply to jobs when they only meet about 60% of the qualifications, while women tend to apply only if they meet 100%. A 2019 LinkedIn report found that while both men and women viewed nearly the same amount of jobs and expressed similar interest in them, women were 16% less likely to apply.
The Confidence Gap and Representation Problem
Expert in the Imposter Syndrome, Valerie Young, explains that “The more people who look or sound like you, the more confident you feel. And conversely, the fewer people who look or sound like you, it can and does for many people impact their confidence.”
This lack of representation creates a vicious cycle. The presence of women in the executive suite is still new. As a result, women encounter fewer promotion opportunities, meaning fewer workplace role models to encourage and mentor a surge in the next generation of female leaders. When you rarely see people who look like you in leadership positions, it becomes harder to envision yourself there.
A 2021, a McKinsey study reported that only 86 women receive promotions for every 100 men. This disparity means women must work harder to advance, and when they do succeed, they often question whether they truly deserve their achievements.
The Double Bind of Workplace Expectations
Women face a particular challenge that psychologists call the "double bind." Assertiveness and a strong voice are often prized leadership qualities, but when women, especially women of color, exhibit these traits, they may be labeled as bossy, abrasive, or aggressive. It's the classic Goldilocks dilemma for women— we have to get it just right.
This impossible standard creates constant self-monitoring and second-guessing. Women learn to modulate their voices, soften their language, and question their instincts to avoid negative reactions. This ongoing mental effort naturally leads to self-doubt and questioning of one's abilities.
Beyond Individual Psychology
Recent research challenges the traditional approach of treating imposter syndrome as an individual problem to fix. The answer to overcoming imposter syndrome is not to fix individuals but to create an environment that fosters a number of different leadership styles and where diversity of racial, ethnic, and gender identities is viewed as just as professional as the current model.
Studies have highlighted the role of workplace culture in driving imposter syndrome. Forbes notes that imposter syndrome is often fueled by company culture and accepted daily norms and behaviors. Workplace environments can significantly exacerbate imposter syndrome, particularly those characterized by close-mindedness, cutthroat competition, or biases.
Strategies for Fighting Back
While we work toward systemic change, there are concrete steps you can take to combat imposter syndrome:
Document Your Achievements Maintaining a comprehensive record of achievements can anchor your professional identity and validate your capabilities. This might include positive feedback from colleagues, performance evaluations, or a catalogue of completed projects. Keep a "success journal" where you record compliments, successful projects, and moments when you solved problems or helped others.
Normalize Your Feelings Understanding that your feelings of self-doubt or perceived fraudulence are widespread can help mitigate their impact. It's important to evaluate your thoughts critically, distinguish fears from reality, and acknowledge these feelings as a common experience rather than a personal failure. Remember that an estimated 70% of people feel like imposters at some point.
Build Your Support Network For us women, seeking support from a strong network of colleagues, mentors, and friends can bring amazing change when it comes to overcoming impostor syndrome. When we surround ourselves with people who believe in us and our abilities, it can provide us with much-needed reassurance and perspective.
Research shows that having a friend in the workplace is associated with lower feelings of imposter syndrome, especially among women. Less than half (43 percent) of women who have a friend or a close friend at their workplace say they have doubted their professional ability at least once in the past week.
Share Your Experiences Open conversations about imposter syndrome not only help in normalizing these experiences but also build a supportive network. Engaging in discussions through informal chats with friends or more structured settings like workshops and support groups encourages understanding and solidarity, which can diminish the feelings of isolation that often accompany imposter syndrome.
There are two advantages to sharing how you're feeling: Instead of internalizing the emotions, recognize them and move on. When you keep your feelings about imposter syndrome a secret, they grow bigger and harder to deal with.
Seek Mentorship Mentors are experienced professionals who can share their insights, guidance, and support to help you grow and develop both personally and professionally. By offering an unbiased perspective, a mentor can challenge your imposter mindset, validate your accomplishments, and hold you accountable for your goals and actions.
Mentorship works both ways. At OneUpOneDown, we see how the experience of being a mentor helps to overcome imposter syndrome. Being a mentor is a way for women to recognize their wisdom and experience. Teaching others helps you realize how much you actually know.
Reframe Your Mindset Imposter syndrome can be reframed as a positive. If you don't have some degree of imposter syndrome you might not be challenging yourself and may in fact be becoming complacent, or worse, arrogant about your capabilities. Imposter syndrome can be your secret power, driving you to improve, observe others, ask questions, and seek help.
Set Realistic Goals You can help yourself by setting realistic and specific goals, providing constructive and balanced feedback to yourself, and praising your effort, process, and improvement. Focus on growth rather than perfection.
Challenge Negative Thoughts When imposter thoughts arise, ask yourself: "What evidence do I have that this thought is true?" Often, you'll find that your fears aren't based on facts but on anxiety and social conditioning.
The Workplace's Role in Change
While individual strategies help, lasting change requires organizational commitment. To combat imposter syndrome, managers should foster a work culture that encourages open discussions about it, acknowledges its existence within the organization, and cultivates psychological safety in the workplace.
Organizations need to examine their hiring, promotion, and evaluation processes for hidden biases. Organizations, too, must reassess how they evaluate candidates for hiring and promotion: Are hidden biases baked into the criteria used to measure competence? And how do these biases disproportionately affect women and people of color?
When to Seek Professional Help
If the imposter phenomenon is severely impacting your mental well-being and your ability to function effectively in your personal and professional life, it may be time to seek professional help. Therapeutic interventions, such as psychotherapy, can be incredibly beneficial in addressing the underlying issues that contribute to imposter syndrome.
A therapist can help you identify thought patterns, develop coping strategies, and work through the deeper issues that contribute to persistent self-doubt.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Imposter syndrome affects women disproportionately because we face unique challenges in workplaces and societies that often question our competence. Understanding this helps us see that the problem isn't with us individually but with systems that need changing.
Imposter syndrome thrives in isolation, convincing women that they alone are flawed. But the solution lies in collective action. By addressing the systemic roots of competency checking, we can create workplaces where self-doubt doesn't hinder potential, and no one is punished for their confidence or ambition.
Remember that your achievements are real, your skills are valid, and your presence in your workplace is deserved. While we work to change the systems that create these feelings of inadequacy, you can take concrete steps to recognize your worth and fight back against the voice that tells you that you don't belong.
Your success isn't luck. Your ideas matter. Your voice deserves to be heard. And when imposter syndrome tries to convince you otherwise, you now have the tools and understanding to fight back.
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