In New Zealand, a country that has a female leader, 27% of people think men would be better leaders than women.

The Glass Ceiling's size and thickness are unknown. According to new research, it encompasses all facets of women's life – including the home – and is built not of glass but of widespread bigotry and prejudice against women held by men and women worldwide.

How can you foster an environment that encourages open conversation? Read how >>

These are the findings of the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Gender Social Norms Index. This index quantifies the extent to which societal ideas block gender equality in sectors such as politics, labor, and education. It includes data from 75 nations, accounting for more than 80% of the global population.

Despite allotting for over half of the workforce and almost sixty percent of postgraduate degrees, women earn less and occupy fewer C-level jobs than males, particularly in male-dominated areas like finance and technology.

Males chose employment that pays more than females, according to labor economists. According to the Department of Labor, women make up nearly a third of computer and math workers in the US.

However, in another survey, men are better in science, math, and technology than women.

Women are more reserved in group discussions on these issues. Women are more inclined than men to ignore compliments and undervalue their abilities despite their ability and knowledge.

While some women may be qualified for crucial professions, lack of confidence may keep them from applying for them, according to Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Katherine B. Coffman.

In addition, Coffman says, "our self-perceptions impact important decisions such as whether we are ready to give ideas or fight for a promotion." "If talented women in STEM don't feel confident in their talents, they won't pursue them. What makes sense for me to pursue?' It's all about our opinions of ourselves.

Coffman co-authored an American Economic Review article and two working papers on men's and women's talent perception.

Find out how taking responsibility for your own life may lead to the possibilities you've always wanted. >>

Women tend to set aside or minimize their abilities.

Gender norms influence our impressions of ourselves and others, which is problematic for women whose bad self-image may hold them back professionally.

The three studies' conclusions are stated below:

In other subjects, like math, women lack confidence.

In research for the journal Beliefs about Gender, Coffman and her colleagues had participants answer multiple-choice questions regarding the Kardashians, Disney movies, food, art and literature, and linguistic abilities (pdf). They were then assessed in areas deemed valid to males, such as business, math, video games, cars, and sports.

A random partner's gender was revealed, and respondents were asked to estimate how many questions they answered right on examinations. The male advantage in male-typed domains and the female advantage in female-typed issues were overstated by both men and women. In addition, women frequently underestimated their abilities on tests when males had an advantage.

Female stereotyping shapes self and other perceptions. Suppose a woman has equal aptitude in both verbal and math; males have an average edge in math influences her perception of her math ability.

Women reject compliments on their abilities.

Participants tested their cognitive abilities in five categories: general science, arithmetic reasoning, math knowledge, mechanical comprehension, and assembling products. To assess their overall number of appropriate replies and compare their performance to others, On average, a woman's score was 0.58 points lower than a man's. Even when participants were provided feedback on their performance, the gender disparity in perceived performance persisted.

In a subsequent study, people were asked to estimate their performance on a randomly assigned subject-matter test and their rank among other test-takers. The researchers then evaluated the individuals' work. They observed that both men and women rejected good news about their grades in subjects they struggled more.

Persuading people of their potential in areas where they believe their gender is weak is difficult, according to Coffman."

"Hey, you're fantastic at math," maybe one policy prescription for overcoming the confidence gap between men and women.

"You did quite well on this math test," she says. "Our research shows that this feedback is less effective than we thought in closing the gender gap." Female-dominated fields are more complex than expected to convince women they've done well in."

It's unclear if women would feel more secure in their abilities if they received more positive comments. "I'd like to explore if the gender prejudice fades over time if a woman is repeatedly informed she's good at math," Coffman says. "You may have to nag women a few times to reduce these differences."

People with the highest potential should be encouraged to volunteer and be acknowledged for their achievements, regardless of gender preconceptions "based on our results

According to Coffman, similar studies also show that men lack confidence in their ability to succeed in female-dominated fields. "We found that people are less confident in domains that are not stereotypically associated with their gender," Coffman says.

Feminist ideas intimidate women.

Coffman and colleagues looked at how teams debate, decide on and reward ideas in the third research.

The researchers saw two groups of men responding to questions of differing "maleness." The gender of participants in one group was known, but not speakers in the other. Men and women could answer the questions, but gender stereotypes skewed the responses. 

Women promote themselves less than males.

The researchers revealed that preconceptions appeared to factor in how outside assessors rated each group member's contribution. Even when the speakers' gender was unknown, judges were more likely to assume that "warm" or friendly participants were female and "negative" or critical participants were male. Both male and female raters were less likely to presume "competent" speakers were female. Warmer participants, particularly women, were less likely to be acknowledged for their efforts.

Declare your success.

According to Coffman, it's an issue if women remain quiet about male-typed subjects and their opinions are valued less when they voice them.

We found that, regardless of gender, collective decision-making should be designed so that the most talented individuals volunteer and are appreciated for their involvement.

Defensive management is the practice of preventing a woman from expressing her opinions or applying for a promotion.

"I would urge business leaders to evaluate how employee confidence affects their operations," says Coffman. "I think adding more input is a great place to start. Then, if you see talent elsewhere, reaching out to assist, praise, and thank that person may be useful."

Coffman and her colleagues hope that this new data on gender stereotyping will help future studies understand why men and women feel males would do better than females in specific categories and what actions may be implemented to bridge the gender confidence gap.

"Stereotypes are commonly held concepts that shape attitudes about our own and others' talents," says Coffman. For now, we must investigate how to better safeguard people from stereotype-induced biases, allowing them to pursue satisfying careers in areas where their passions and strengths lie.

About Jim Woods

Jim Woods is president of Woods Kovalova Group where he founded the firm in 1998. WKG is a global consulting firm that works with financial industry professionals to solve their most pressing problems and seize their most promising possibilities by breaking the cycle of racial inequality. Jim was recognized as one of the “Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America.”

Jim’s education and work experience have given him expertise in many aspects of the financial sector. He has 25 years of diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting experience, primarily in retail and business banking.

Jim holds deep expertise in organization and banking strategy development. Jim earned a master’s degree in organizational development and human resources from Capella University.