So Wait, Why Do We Largely Associate “Imposter Syndrome” With Women?

Men are fragile as f*ck.

To do this dance right, I need to draw your attention to two longer-form articles:

1. is from a recent issue of The New Yorker and traces the history and modern context for “imposter syndrome.”
2. is from a 2021 Harvard Business Review article — it’s one of the most popular articles on HBR all-time, apparently — entitled “Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome.”

If you read the two articles, especially the first one, there’s an interesting history to the concept of “imposter syndrome.” The two academic “creators” of the concept never wanted it to be called a “syndrome,” and it was in fact initially called a “phenomenon.” It got co-opted by various elements of our shifting relationship to work, women out-pacing men in the workforce, and digital platforms.

One of the most interesting elements of the discussion around “imposter syndrome” is that it’s almost universally aimed at females, even though the sensation of feeling like you’re not good enough or up to something cuts deeply across both genders.