Studies on the gender self-promotion gap suggest this phenomenon has a disheartening butterfly effect for the visibility of women in the workplace. In a time where we see tech tycoons call for “more masculine energy” in corporations, as well as diversity & Inclusion initiatives being defunded and even blamed for tragic accidents, RiskSmart wants to offer an alternative point of view: we want to talk about the invaluable energy women bring to the workplace, their prized skills and countless achievements – starting with our own.
It's a scientifically verified pattern where women are consistently hesitant or reluctant to publicise their achievements or to describe them as anything significant, even if they are of equal importance and quality to those of male peers.
This phenomenon is now proven and backed by over 100,000 independent research articles. Although the term was first used about women in STEM fields, it’s proven to exist, to some degree, in every layer of society.
Including the workplace. Studies conducted across various businesses found that, on average, women rated their performance 33% lower than equally performing men.
Ah, if only the answer were as simple as the question. (We’ll dig further into this towards the end; don’t you worry.)
It isn’t so much a case of men overestimating their performance (although it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened), but rather a complex set of socio-economic and cultural trends that could be pressuring women to modify their behaviour.
Even if the cause is complex, the solution can be more straightforward: Give women more space to talk about what they do well, what they bring to the workplace and the unique set of skills they offer.
As the team here at RiskSmart loves being part of the solution, we’d like to commence “the big boast” - a blog we’ve created in honour of International Women’s Day 2025 where the women in our company have free rein to highlight their strengths, favourite achievements (personal and professional) and share their learnings far and wide.
Most women are already aware that society sometimes can be stacked against us and that change can be hard to drive and facilitate. For those of you who are wondering where to even start, here’s a quick guide and further resources:
1. Recognise who picks up unpaid work and emotional labour in the office.
Observe: Who washes the dirty coffee cups? Who buys the birthday cakes? Who will stay until after everyone’s left to clean up after the office Christmas drinks?
Chances are, it's a woman.
Reflecting the traditional roles of the home, several independent studies show that in addition to having our work, in general, go more unrecognised, women are also more likely to get delegated and volunteer for tasks that are tedious and thankless – but someone has to do them in order for the workplace to keep ticking over.
Recognise when this happens. Point it out. Redistribute evenly.
2. Give women a forum to talk about their achievementsThe tendency for women to be less inclined to talk publicly about themselves, to brag, be confident or to stand out from the crowd is rooted in a highly complex mix of herstory, societal expectations and conditioning.
Regardless of the origins, the result is that women are less likely to speak positively about their work, display their ideas or speak up about unfavourable work delegation.
Creating an environment that supports different, creative ways of delivering feedback and alternative feedback loops is an important start.
3. Evaluate to whom you assign high-profile workIn this Norwegian study on gender similarities and differences in work preference, it’s illustrated that self-confidence plays a huge part in the work you ask for. Men will more than often naturally gravitate towards the work of higher profile. Leaders can, often subconsciously, enforce this through delegation.
By giving men the majority of the “glamour work”, it’s perpetuating the false cycle of believing that men perform better than women.
4. Be language awareMen and women tend to speak completely differently.
A pertinent example to how this directly relates to the self-promotion gap, is the use of “me” vs “we”.
Men who talk about their work, say “I achieved the goals.”
Meanwhile, when women talk about their work, they will more than often say “we achieved the goals”.
Suddenly, your female colleagues are crediting the entire team for their work. Women also tend to be more self-deprecating in their speech or will often use qualifiers to come across as less harsh, likable or approachable, if that makes any sense?
Or like, do you get what I mean, kind of?
Picking up on language differences and letting the work speak for itself, is key to understanding the actual result of performance and hard work, not just how it’s marketed.
5. Make feedback gender neutralIs she bossy, or does she lead?
Is she stubborn - or determined?
Is she brash, or just a straight talker?
More studies have shown that women tend to receive negative feedback for qualities that, if found in men, would be described as positive or even desirable for a business.
It’s believed that this is one of the biggest drivers behind the gender self-promotion gap.
According to a large study on performance reviews, women received feedback on their personality 29% of the time, whilst men only saw this 2% of the time. Women were also more likely to receive negative feedback for having qualities we usually admire in men, such as strong leadership, or exhibiting superior expertise in a subject.
This is proven to affect especially women of colour and black women the most. Several studies show that whether you’re a black woman trying to climb the corporate ladder, or Serena Williams crip walking at Wimbledon, people are generally biased when interpreting strong, black women’s behaviour as something negative or aggressive.
And the pressure for them to modify their behaviour is still evident. This report from McKinsey shows that 54% of Black women in leadership positions report feeling pressure to change their communication style, appearance and diction.
For many women, this negative feedback is also experienced from a young age. Society is still, to a significant degree, conditioning young girls to be seen, not heard, and to believe they belong standing in the background.
We still have a long way to go.
On this note, happy International Women’s Day!
Hopefully this blog has taught you a bit about all the talent, strengths and wonderful personalities of the women of RiskSmart as well as spreading some awareness of the gender self-promotion gap in the workplace and how you can be part of counteracting it.
So today, take a second to think about the women you work with, the complexities they face and the turbulence they might encounter when trying to self-promote.
And from there, consider if you want to be part of the problem, or the solution.