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Previously, I doubted my ability to succeed when attempting something unfamiliar. I expected to fail whenever I stepped outside my comfort zone. More times than not, I exceeded my expectations, and there are millions of other women who have experienced this.
Research has found that women generally underestimate their performance even though there is little or no difference in performance when compared to men. Furthermore, the "confidence gap" causes men and women to have very different levels of confidence, which plays an important role in determining both what career path to take and where to obtain an education or sense of self-worth.
Across multiple studies, research demonstrates that women consistently rate themselves lower than their actual performance, particularly in terms of leadership opportunities, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (i.e., STEM), and spatial reasoning.
A major component of this has been found to be social norms. Young girls are raised to be modest and humble, while boys are encouraged to promote themselves. As these children grow into adulthood and begin forming their own identities, the difference in these messages creates barriers that make it harder for women to recognise their potential regardless of how talented or skilled they may be.
In a recent study done by Hofer et al. (2025), women consistently rated their own spatial intelligence lower than men, despite both genders being equally proficient in terms of assessments. Women who rated their own spatial intelligence significantly lower than men are the least likely to pursue careers in STEM fields. Researchers indicated that "the relationship between confidence and competence is reciprocal; if you undervalue your abilities, you will have already shut the door on those opportunities before you even set foot inside." By understanding this information, women should be able to identify their unrealised potential.
The combination of giving women recognition for their accomplishments, creating an environment that supports giving constructive feedback on their performance, and/or surrounding them with consistent, positive reinforcement from their peer networks has been shown to help improve a woman's level of confidence and subsequently increase her opportunity for an education or job.
Reference:
Hofer, G., Hünninghaus, M., Platzer, J., Grinschgl, S., & Neubauer, A. (2025). Women’s humility and men’s lack of hubris: Gender biases in self-estimated spatial intelligence. Sex Roles. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-025-01572-8
