For five years Georgia State University academics, Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes, studied 150 “high-achieving” women in psychotherapy. These women had earned PhDs in various fields, were highly respected professionals and students with impressive academic records. Despite all of their accomplishments, these women struggled to feel an internal sense of achievement. They saw themselves as “imposters” in their respective areas of expertise, fooling people into believing in their potential.
In the subsequent paper published by Clance and Imes in 1978, they called this phenomenon “imposter syndrome” and considered it a common characteristic among successful women. In the following years and decades, studies linked this condition to almost every marginalised social identity based on race, sexuality, gender and disability. This article explores the impact of imposter syndrome on women while the subsequent parts go into the experiences of other social identities.
Why are women so susceptible to imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome refers to the habit of doubting oneself, one’s skills and abilities as insufficient or weak, despite having much evidence to the contrary. While Clance and Imes initially diagnosed this ailment to only “high-achieving women”, later studies have found it in almost every gender, but mainly in all women. The burden of this feeling is carried by women in their workplaces, affecting their overall performances, cementing gender bias and stereotypes and perpetuating a vicious cycle of exclusion. Surveys have found that 75% of women executives experience imposter syndrome.
So why is it that women suffer so much from this particular affliction?
- Matching up to expectations
In many cases, feelings of imposter syndrome can be traced to early family or school dynamics when women are given mixed messages about competency and individual achievements. On one hand, they are pushed to achieve excellence academically, be emotionally resilient and assertive, and build flourishing careers. On the other hand, they are expected to embrace their femininity and follow societal rules of gentle obedience and domestic duties. It is impressed upon them that only a golden coupling of these two aspects of their identity can guarantee them success in the eyes of the world. Since this is nearly impossible, women spend their lives chasing a mirage and considering themselves a constant failure
- Falling prey to negative coverage
Media portrayals of women as frail and ever-dependant on others to get through life also leave an imprint on our minds. They drill into women what their natural skills are and what they deserve. Such media representation sets negative stereotypes about communicating with women within spaces like the workplace. These generate assumptions like “women are too emotional for a high-stakes role” or “women can’t take tactical decisions”. As a result women are constantly short-changed by colleagues and they begin doubting their place in teams. They fear putting themselves forward for any opportunities as their self-confidence is completely shattered.
- Turning to harmful trends
Instead of completely shutting off, negative stereotypes in the workplace may also lead some women to the opposite direction where they take proactive steps to prove their worth at every turn. They get inspired by popular culture trends like “hustle culture” and the “girl boss” that glorifies working long hours, normalising problematic workplace behaviour and practices. All of this is done in a bid to ensure that their colleagues take them seriously and give them their dues. Not being able to embrace their authentic selves and ignoring their wellbeing, means that these women never feel secure about their abilities. Additionally, minor setbacks or criticism send them into a spiral of torturous self-doubt.
- Fighting against the odds:
Pew Research Center analysis showed that women earned an average of 82% of what men earned. Women’s health issues like periods, pregnancy and menopause are still a subject of intense bias and discrimination in the workplace, severely denting their psychological safety. Systemic disadvantages at every step in the recruitment process sets the stage for women to feel like they do not belong right from the start. A stark dearth of role models in the upper echelons of organisational hierarchy make women feel weary of their future prospects despite their talent and hard work. All of these factors impact women’s confidence and lead them to develop a strong case of imposter syndrome.
Systemic barriers at work are not exclusive to women. They create issues for most other marginalised social identities too. So it’s no surprise that the experience of imposter syndrome is also not limited to women. Read Part 2 of this article to find out what leads other social identities to suffer this condition and where the workplace comes to play.