Imposter Syndrome Prevalence in Women

When working in fields that are primarily male-dominant, women have to practice knowing when to speak up, when to stay quiet, learn how to reject sexual advances from a male superior without damaging his ego, and simply trusting in one’s own abilities. These and other frustrations can all be a tiresome normal for a women’s day-to-day working experience and can increase the probability of imposter syndrome.

Based on a study done by KPMG, imposter syndrome is determined to be “the inability to believe your success is deserved as a result of your hard work and the fact you possess distinct skills, capabilities, and experiences. Rather, your inclination is to internalize that you got where you are by other means, such as luck or being in the right place at the right time.”

Freelance journalist Sheryl Nance-Nash notes that her feelings of inadequacy in the workplace that are not always obvious and can be challenging to determine. “Why do I feel like a fraud even though I’m eminently qualified for this job? Despite education and training, many have never been able to break free of doubting their worthiness and step into a higher level of success,” she states.

Imposter syndrome is common for most women working in male-dominant careers and can lead to poor performance on the job and a self-doubting spiral that can affect all assets in life. Along with the gender pay gap’s problematic inequalities, there presumes to be a possibly more dangerous confidence gap for women today. When women feel they either “got lucky” upon receiving a prestigious job opportunity or that they did not have the right amount of schooling to get the job done, feelings of deception creep in; no matter how great the success or how high the credentials, women feel they are an imposter in a role they have rightfully earned.

Why is Imposter Syndrome Problematic?

At face value, these self-sabotaging thought patterns can be interpreted as a fault to the believer. Still, studies often show the rate at which men are paid higher and are given promotions more frequently and how this significantly affects the confidence of the women working harder than ever to close the pay gap.

Forbes highlighted a study done by KPMG in which a survey was released to 750 executive women from significant companies and found that “75% of executive women identified having experienced imposter syndrome at various points during their careers…In fact, nearly 6 in 10 executive women told us that promotions or transitions to new roles were the times that they most experienced imposter syndrome.”

These findings suggest that women face imposture syndrome when feeling inadequate for something they are capable of because of the habitual stereotypes placed by their male counterparts and societies today.

Women of Color

Due to stigmas placed on women who are succumbed to racial profiling, women of color feel fraudulent even when they have the necessary credentials for the job at hand. An article released by BBC reports on the self-doubt of women in the workplace due to stereotypes and racism, “pervasive racist and sexist stereotypes can cause marginalized people to doubt themselves, …that women are not good leaders because they’re too emotional; women are not good at maths or science; black, indigenous, and other people of color are lazy, unintelligent or lack integrity.”

Because of these sexist and racist stereotypes remaining in the workplace today, women cannot easily ask for help for fear of their male counterparts, assuming they will always need a male figure for aid. Women are scared to work fewer hours for fear of judgments and continue to wonder if they are good enough in their counterparts’ eyes.

Diversity in the workplace can start with women knowing their importance and strength in numbers. While the burden of closing the gender pay gap should not entirely fall on an individual, there are some ways that women can start the work of self-compassion and begin to ease the feelings of doubt that have plagued working women for centuries.

So What Are We To Do?

Forbes’ contributor, Margie Warrell lists ways women can contradict the imposter syndrome, such as applying to jobs even when you do not meet 100% of the qualifications or getting rid of those unspoken rules that women place on themselves. By replacing the ever-used, should with the empowering word could, one can silence the self-doubt negotiator and replace him by befriending the confident inner woman waiting to feel significant. Warrell advises in the shedding of the “pleaser” and embracing the inner female with all her flaws, frustrations, and accepting who she is and, maybe more importantly, who she is not.

Knowing that there are those out there that will implore the First Lady-elect to drop the Dr. and simply go by “Jill” because “Dr. Jill Biden” sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic,” shows just how invalid women may appear because of the fear that others will see them as lesser-then.

Stopping the inner spiraling patterns of self-doubt and articulating when confidence is required rather than negotiated may lead to a continuance in closing the gap, one self-actualizing woman at a time.

Prepared by: Mariah Manes

Keywords: gender pay gap, gender confidence gap, male dominance, female job security, imposter syndrome, imposter syndrome in women, self-doubt