The Gender Gap in Self-Promotion

Abstract

In job applications, job interviews, performance reviews, and a wide range of other environments, individuals are explicitly asked or implicitly invited to assess their own performance.In a series of experiments, we find that women rate their performance less favorably than equally performing men. This gender gap in self-promotion is notably persistent. It stays just as strong when we eliminate gender differences in confidence about performance and when we eliminate strategic incentives to engage in self-promotion. Because of the prevalence of self-promotion opportunities, this self-promotion gap may contribute to the persistent gender gap in education and labor market outcomes.

Old Practice, but Young Research Field: A Systematic Bibliographic Review of Personal Branding

“…This limitation raises the question for women with children that energy must be spent on positioning themselves to fit into a model that they still consider “different.” Second, women are less likely to self-promote than men (Dobbins et al, 1990 ; Oakley, 2000 ; Singh et al, 2002 ). This gender gap in self-promotion is reflective of the gender gap in self-evaluations and, in addition, the gender gap in self-evaluations is specific to evaluations of own performance (Exley and Kessler, 2019 ). Women evaluate their performance less favorably than men, which then is likely to have a continuing impact on their careers.…”

“…how does the potential for gender-specific backlash influence self-evaluations and how employers view self-evaluations? (Exley and Kessler, 2019 ). Future research should also consider the gender-oriented role of personal branding in private life.…”

Supporting Junior Women: Strategies for Men Colleagues

“…Departments should consider appropriate salary points that are less reliant on negotiation, given that women are less likely to do so (Babcock and Laschever 2003). Men also may affirmatively work to notice and nominate worthy junior women for awards because women are less likely to self-promote (Exley and Kessler 2019). As departments recruit women to their positions, they also must prioritize the support necessary to achieve tenure.…”

Self Promotion in US Congressional Tweets

“…The phenomenon of a gender gap in self-evaluation and self-promotion has been well documented in social science research. Exley and Kessler (2019) found that, between equally high-performing men and women, women would self-evaluate more poorly despite evaluating others similarly regardless of gender. Such a gender gap has been observed in traditionally male-dominated professions.…”