Kieran Snyder analyzed 248 performance reviews of generally high-performing men and women working in the tech industry. Here’s what she found:
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For one thing, women were more likely than men to receive critical feedback at all. When they received any, men’s critical feedback tended to be constructive suggestions on how to improve. Women, on the other hand, got that constructive feedback — in addition to complaints about their personalities. The word “abrasive”, for example, was used 17 times to describe 13 different women. That kind of negative personality criticism showed up in two of the 83 critical reviews received by men, compared to in 71 of the 94 critical reviews received by women.
But don’t worry — just be confident, embrace bossy, lean in, and everything will be fine.
Maya Dusenbery is an Executive Director of Feministing.
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