The Origins, Significance, and Influence of Gender Myths in the Workplace

“Women are less interested in their careers”

“Women are more emotional than men”

We encounter statements like these frequently in everyday life, both in personal and professional contexts. They often seem plausible and are therefore rarely questioned. Yet from a scientific perspective, it becomes clear that many of these assumptions are not facts, but myths resulting from simplified cognitive processes and based on social role stereotypes.

Why do these everyday myths - particularly those to the detriment of women - persist so stubbornly? And what consequences do they have for gender equality and career opportunities in organizations?

 

How do myths arise, and why do they persist for so long?

Everyday myths are beliefs that feel like established facts, even though they are not scientifically proven or have even been disproved. They often arise from subjective experiences, societal role models, or simplified explanations for complex relationships. Through constant repetition, they eventually become truths that seem self-evident ₂.

Our brain and cognitive perception play a central role in this process: To quickly process the vast amount of information in everyday life, we rely on simple categories and shortcuts - so-called cognitive heuristics ₅. They help us classify situations as quickly as possible and make decisions. At the same time, they can lead us to overestimate differences within groups and reinforce stereotypical assumptions.

Gender differences, in particular, are often perceived and interpreted as “natural.” As a result, existing structures appear self-evident and objective and are less likely to be questioned. With the help of cognitive heuristics, they justify the division of labor, professional expectations, or a person’s behavior ₅.

An example is provided by the study by Ruud van den Bos et al. (2014). It shows that, under stress, women and men differ in some of their coping strategies, but not in their performance ₉. Women tend to make more risk-averse decisions - that is, decisions that avoid risk - while men more often make risk-seeking decisions. However, neither strategy is inherently “worse” than the other. Both strategies can be effective depending on the context. This diversity of perspectives can be particularly beneficial in complex decision-making processes ₇.

 

How Do Gender Myths Affect Careers?

In companies, such myths often have a subtle yet systematic impact. This becomes particularly evident throughout the employee lifecycle, which describes the various stages of an employment relationship.

• Recruiting

Even during the application process, stereotypical assumptions can lead to unequal treatment of women and men. For example, if the myth prevails that men are more resilient or assertive, male applicants for leadership positions are often perceived as more suitable than their female competitors. This effect occurs even when qualifications are comparable ₃.

• Development and Advancement

Studies reveal gender-specific differences in training and advancement programs: women often have less access to career-enhancing measures, such as professional development or talent programs. This is frequently driven by the myth that women are less career-oriented or more interested in stability or family. While women are therefore more often supported during onboarding, men are specifically prepared for and promoted to leadership positions ₄.

• Performance Evaluation

Gender myths also influence how behavior is interpreted and evaluated. For example, men who speak in a loud tone are more likely to be perceived as dominant and assertive, while women exhibiting the same behavior are more likely to be viewed as emotional or difficult ₄.

• Salary and Negotiations

A particularly widespread myth is that “women negotiate worse than men.” However, a comprehensive meta-analysis by Mazei et al. in 2015 shows that this difference is significantly smaller than previously assumed ₆. What has been confirmed, however, are the systematic differences in salary offers - in favor of men ₈. At the same time, studies indicate that women who negotiate confidently are often evaluated more negatively than men exhibiting the same behavior ₁. The perception differs in that men are supposedly seen as bold and aware of their worth, while women are perceived as demanding.

The result: The mechanisms underlying gender myths ensure that pay structures persist in companies that disadvantage women.

 

Why It Is Important to Expose Gender Myths

Gender myths rarely operate consciously. Precisely for this reason, they can reinforce systemic inequalities within organizations, even though decision-makers are convinced they are acting objectively ₂.

The first step in debunking these gender myths is therefore raising awareness. Myths must be identified, questioned, and replaced with scientific evidence.

This is exactly where we at FLD come in: Through mentoring programs, coaching, workshops, training sessions, and keynote speeches, we support organizations in making unconscious bias, everyday sexism, and stereotypical gender myths visible and in initiating sustainable changes toward greater gender equity.

A key tool is the “Gender Check” developed by FLD: This tool analyzes corporate processes - from recruiting and performance evaluations to career paths - for gender equity. This reveals where structural disadvantages exist, and we work with the company to develop concrete measures for greater gender equity.

Our goal: to replace gender myths with facts and to support people and organizations in realizing the potential of diverse perspectives.

 

 

SOURCES:

₁ Bowles, H. R., Babcock, L., & Lai, L. (2007). Social incentives for gender differences in the propensity to initiate negotiations: Sometimes it does hurt to ask. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 103(1), 84–103.

₂ Fazio, L. K. (2020). Repetition increases perceived truth even for known falsehoods. Collabra: Psychology, 6(1), 38.

₃ Gierke, L., Schlamp, S., & Gerpott, T. J. (2024). Which organisational context factors help women to obtain and retain leadership positions in the 21st century? A systematic review and research agenda for human resource management.

₄ Kim, J.-Y., Hsu, N., Newman, D. A., Harms, P. D., & Wood, D. (2020). Leadership perceptions, gender, and dominant personality: The role of normality evaluations. Journal of Research in Personality, 87, 103984.

₅ Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

₆ Mazei, J., Hüffmeier, J., Freund, P. A., Stuhlmacher, A. F., Bilke, L., & Hertel, G. (2015). A meta-analysis on gender differences in negotiation outcomes and their moderators. Psychological Bulletin, 141(1), 85–104.

₇ McKinsey & Company. (2024). Diversity matters even more: The case for holistic impact. McKinsey & Company.

₈ Säve-Söderbergh, J. (2019). Gender gaps in salary negotiations: Salary requests and starting salaries in the field. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 161, 178–193.

₉ Van den Bos, R., Taris, R., Scheppink, B., De Haan, L., & Verster, J. C. (2014). Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels during an assessment procedure correlate differently with risk-taking measures in male and female police recruits. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, Article 219.