Imposter syndrome is so 2023...

While it seems like a distant memory (for me anyway) we still haven’t bounced back from the pandemic. In what is sadly now a predictable turn of events, women are struggling the most with their lockdown hangovers.

Working women were hit particularly hard by Covid-19. Globally, women made up 39% of employment in the build-up to the pandemic, according to?McKinsey. By the summer of 2020, these women accounted for over half of job losses.

As Laura Chamberlain, professor of marketing at the Warwick Business School, put it in a recent Marketing Week piece, women are seeing unique drawbacks in the new office environment. Embracing “flexibility” for women often translates to overwork as they feel pressured to prove themselves.

Many are doing more courses or taking on additional workloads just to try and keep up. As Ms. Chamberlain said: “People are wanting courses and training, because there’s a lack of confidence and self-belief, which are actually two very different things.

“It all adds up into this maelstrom of difficult circumstances that mean we are constantly feeling challenged. It’s like women are facing challenge after challenge after challenge, and it’s exhausting. That’s why we’re seeing women burning out.”

All this effort, and for what? It’s obvious to me that these insecurities are filtering through and creating self-fulfilling prophecies.?Marketing’s gender pay gap is double the national average. Full-time female marketers are paid 16% less than their male counterparts.

Look, none of us are perfect. We should always be trying to improve wherever we can. But I dislike how we’re quick to criticise ourselves, yet slow to sing our praises.

Your triumphs aren’t the result of luck. Or fortunate timing. Or a shift in buyer sentiment. They’re down to hard work, intuition, and talent.

It’s because of stats like the above that I’m all about celebrating my team’s efforts as much as possible.?Alex?– your latest 'Every loan tells a story' campaign was nothing short of brilliant.?Stef?– every clicked on report, guide, or blog was made possible by your tireless analysis of the digital ether.?Xanthe?– the flow of marketing’s work, from our podcasts to our promotions, only happens because of your due diligence and tenacity.

And yes, when MFS staff win awards, you’re damn right I’m going to make sure everyone knows about it. Whether it's?Jemma?being rightfully recognised as a rising star,?Karen?as one of 2024’s elite women, or – yes –?my wins?at the Mortgage Industry Marketing Awards.

None of this is to say that we need to put down the men in our field. I work with amazing people across the industry, and I see and appreciate all of those who celebrate our achievements with us. There’s room for all of us to succeed here.

But, women need to shake off their insecurities. We’ve earned our successes, and we shouldn’t be timid about it.