Intelligent women get less help at work, study finds

High intelligence typically serves as a professional advantage, yet a new study reveals a troubling pattern for women in the workplace. Research conducted across 826 participants in the United States and China found that women who scored higher on cognitive ability tests were rated by teammates as more hostile, received less help, and experienced more undermining behaviors. Men with similar intelligence scores did not face this negative treatment, and in one group, actually received better treatment.

The study, led by Nitya Chawla, an associate professor at UCL School of Management in London, examined whether cognitive ability affects how teammates treat people differently based on gender. Since its publication, Chawla has received correspondence from women who say the findings align with their own workplace experiences, with some questioning whether they were responsible for the hostility they encountered.

Research methodology

The researchers conducted two separate studies. The first followed 432 business students at a US public university working in teams on real consulting projects. The second surveyed 394 full-time employees in teams at a financial company in China. Intelligence was measured using standardized reasoning and problem-solving tests commonly used in hiring processes.

Team members rated one another without knowing anyone's test scores. Weeks later, participants reported how much help they had received and how often they had been undermined, such as having information withheld from them. While the effects were small, the study identified a clear pattern of differential treatment based on gender and intelligence.

Social role theory

The researchers attribute these findings to social role theory, which suggests people expect men and women to conform to traditional gender roles: men as capable and assertive, women as warm and supportive. When a woman demonstrates high cognitive ability, she may be perceived as violating these expectations, leading colleagues to assume she lacks warmth.

In both groups, women with higher scores were rated as more hostile. Among the Chinese employees, they were also seen as less warm. Women perceived as more hostile reported receiving less help both professionally and personally, along with more undermining behaviors.

Gender differences

Men with high intelligence did not experience similar treatment. Among US students, a man's intelligence score made no difference to how teammates treated him. In China, men with higher scores were actually rated as less hostile, received more help, and experienced less mistreatment. The researchers suggest these differences may reflect cultural variations in gender norms.

The team investigated whether highly intelligent women behaved differently that might explain the treatment. While higher-scoring women were rated as somewhat more domineering, this did not account for why they received less help or more mistreatment. The findings point to colleagues' assumptions rather than the women's actual behavior.

Chawla emphasizes that women should not feel compelled to hide their intelligence. "That would be really the wrong conclusion to draw," she states. While the effects may be small, they accumulate over time, potentially leading to anxiety, self-doubt, and a sense of not belonging. "These experiences and these feelings can become very, very burdensome over time," she warns.

Addressing this issue requires organizational change rather than individual adaptation. Chawla recommends that managers monitor how team members interact with each other and that companies conduct regular check-ins to ensure employees receive equal support. She suggests individuals can examine their own reactions by asking: Would I respond the same way if that colleague were a man?