Being a man or a woman, and how we have learned to be one or how the society in which we live has taught us to be one, influences how we deal with success. For example, some people, faced with success, suffer from what psychologist Pauline Clance defined decades ago as “imposture syndrome.” It causes them to doubt their worth, consider their success a coincidence, and undervalue their efforts. Sometimes they are paralyzed by the fear of being exposed as a fraud.

Many studies show that this syndrome is more prevalent among women . This affects self-efficacy, self-compassion, and self-esteem, and leads to perfectionist attitudes, depression, anxiety, and sometimes abandonment. It is also one of the causes behind the “sticky floor” phenomenon , which refers to the difficulty in advancing one’s career.

If someone thinks they’re not up to the task, then, adding to this certain structural limitations—defined as the “glass ceiling”—we can understand gender inequality in professional settings.

Students who feel like impostors

What’s happening with the new generations, and to what extent does this syndrome affect today’s university students ? Our studies in programs like Political Science show that extreme syndrome affects 20% of female students .

There is a relationship between this syndrome and gender norms , that is, what is understood as feminine or masculine. For example, in women, perfection and discretion are valued, while male socialization is more focused on public affairs. In men, vehemence or invulnerability are valued more.

Talking about this with college students can help them become aware of it and also diagnose it. In some cases, it helps them cope with paralysis, and in others, it helps them avoid problems stemming from overconfidence.

The syndrome in doctoral studies

The study of impostor syndrome is key to understanding who drives scientific progress. A recent Final Degree Project , in which a questionnaire was administered to 560 doctoral students at the University of the Basque Country (14% of the total) and in-depth interviews were conducted, demonstrates how gender affects the doctoral trajectory.

A 9-point difference in the intensity of feelings of being an impostor was observed between male and female doctoral students (60 out of 100 points) and female doctoral students (69 out of 100). The experience of intense imposter syndrome (more than 80) affects 21% of women and only 10% of men. In contrast, the absence of imposter syndrome (20 to 40 points on the test) is only found in 3.2% of girls compared to 10% of boys.

By discipline, the average intensity of the syndrome increases in Arts (with an average of 72.49 points out of 100 for girls compared to 57.63 for boys) and in Sciences (with 70.15 compared to 57.63).

The syndrome and access to research

The study also concludes that receiving scholarships increases the prevalence of the syndrome in both boys and girls. However, quantitative data indicates that men feel more pressure when the financial factor is included in their doctoral process. In any case, the testimonies reflect the emotional pressure and insecurity faced by those who apply for these grants.

Anxiety during the selection process and delays in achieving goals are also highlighted. Even after receiving a scholarship, the feeling of inadequacy and doubt about one’s own merit persists, as well as the pressure to meet other people’s expectations.

Loneliness and academic hierarchies

All the testimonies highlight the need for greater institutional support for female researchers in training. Loneliness and academic hierarchies affect their safety and development, highlighting the importance of building support networks among peers and promoting fair evaluations.

Furthermore, those interviewed emphasized the need for equality and representation measures to foster a more equitable and accessible university community. The in-depth interviews suggest several avenues:

“It’s important that universities promote support mechanisms among peers in processes like the thesis, because we all feel very alone. (…) It should be essential to train external evaluators to conduct fair evaluations without mistreating people. (…) Institutions should adopt measures of equality and representation so that everyone feels part of the system.”

Research shows that the syndrome reaches its peak in situations involving a presentation or oral presentation. Quantitative and qualitative data show that presentations at conferences, seminars, and thesis defenses are moments in which doctoral students experience the highest levels of anxiety and insecurity, reinforcing the feeling of intellectual fraud.

The role of socioeconomic status and other factors

The in-depth interviews conducted in this research suggest that socioeconomic conditions, such as age, social class, and ethnic minority affiliation, influence the intensity with which people feel like impostors. Doctoral students from more disadvantaged backgrounds reported higher levels of the syndrome, suggesting that academic insecurity is also affected by access to resources.

Understanding these data is key to learning in several ways: first, it shows us that gender matters and can explain some difficulties in female students’ academic development. Imposter syndrome may be one of the reasons for the sticky floor that discourages women from accessing relevant positions.

On the other hand, on a personal level, if comparative data are available, students can diagnose themselves. If this is accompanied by an interpretation of the sex-gender system, they can understand that their feelings have a structural basis that, consequently, are not solely a function of personality: with awareness and work, they can change their self-perception and beliefs.

Author Bio: Igor Ahedo Gurrutxaga is Professor of Political Science – Principal Investigator of Parte Hartuz – Director of the PhD program Society, Politics and Culture at the University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea