“I am woman, hear me S.T.E.M.” – How Impostor Syndrome is Silencing Smart Women

“What if I say the wrong thing? What if they can tell that I’m unsure, scared, anxious, not cut out for this?”

These aren’t the thoughts that we associate with the confident, outspoken women we see commanding board rooms and guest panels. On the surface, many professional women have perfected the art of composure.

We stand in front of you cool, calm, and collected. We deliver information in a tone that says we know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. But under the surface, many of us are paddling like hell to stay afloat.

Why?

Because many women who have broken into highly professional industries experience a serious lack of confidence that we’ve aptly named – Impostor Syndrome.

The feeling that no matter how hard we work, study, and apply what we KNOW, we still don’t belong.

Impostor Syndrome and inequality

In the past, some have dismissed this feeling as a lack of confidence or a consequence of inexperience, but it goes so much deeper than that. In reality, Impostor Syndrome is indicative of a much larger problem faced by many women in the workplace – inequality.

For most of our lives, many of us are force fed gender norms that tell us exactly where we need to be, what we should be doing, and how we should be doing it. We need to be pretty, talented, popular, fit, and largely compliant in our manner.

And in spite of amazing progress focused on bridging the gap between men and women in the workplace, these norms still haunt many of us.

According to an article released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a 2018 study showed that women made only $.82 for every dollar earned by men, a pay gap of 18%. In fact, without some major changes, women may not achieve equal pay until 2059.

Numbers don’t lie.

Take a moment to think about what that really means to women entering the workforce…

“Yes, we know that you went to graduate school, had an amazing internship, gained a ton of experience, and can solve the toughest customer problems without breaking a sweat. But we’re going to pay you 18% less than the other guy getting hired at the same time with slightly fewer qualifications.

Why?

Well… because he’s a guy.”

As a woman, this tells me that you don’t value me. Not because I’m poor at my job, but because I’m not anatomically correct for the position.

Of course, women aren’t told that this is why they’ve been placed in a lower pay bracket. Instead, many are left to question their capabilities and wonder whether they’re truly qualified to do the job that they once approached with such confidence.

When we question this about ourselves, we can begin to doubt our perception of our own performance. And it breaks us down just a little. Makes us believe that maybe we just aren’t as good as we thought, and maybe – just maybe – we don’t belong here.

That’s when we stop voicing our concerns and sharing our knowledge. Impostor Syndrome encourages fear and silences women who could be doing so much more.

The ripple effect

Unfortunately, when these things become so deeply rooted in our personal and professional cultures, they seem to have a ripple effect. This means that this attitude is amplified and echoed in other parts of our lives, creating a vicious cycle of self-doubt that scares many of us away from things we’d be truly great at.

And this deprives the world of some of our greatest resources – the hearts and minds of intellectual, creative, and phenomenal women. Women that could revolutionize robotics, take medical research to a new level, or legislate their way into a successful presidency.

So, what can you do?

As a woman, you can trust yourself, forgive yourself, and educate yourself. Don’t allow past experiences to steal your confidence or deprive you of a place that you truly deserve. Look at every situation as an opportunity – and every failure as a chance to learn.

And know…

Failure, embarrassment, self-doubt, and criticism are not the end of you. Those things don’t prove anything about who you are or whether you’ll be competent in future endeavours. All they prove is that you tried something – and that’s commendable all by itself.

Times are changing. Women are finally being seen and recognized, owning businesses and stepping into c-suites where they belong. But until we’ve reached a place of equality, it’s up to us to be louder than our doubts, fight Impostor Syndrome, and to pave the way for future generations who deserve more.