Business · Companies · 3 hrs ago
Women feel less able to admit mistakes in male-heavy workplaces
Researchers at the London School of Economics surveyed 1,485 people working in UK financial services about a hypothetical work mistake.
In teams where at least 75% of staff were men, women felt less comfortable admitting a mistake than men did.
They were also less likely to see a mistake as a chance to learn.
In workplaces with fewer men, this gap between women and men nearly disappeared.
Respondents did not show a clear gender difference in how much formal punishment they expected, so the findings concern how safe people felt, not actual disciplinary records.
The researchers say an unspoken fear of being judged as less capable may make it harder for women to learn from errors.
They warn that this can also limit learning and innovation across an organization, and suggest managers acknowledge their own mistakes and make it easier for colleagues to discuss them.
A study found that women in male-heavy workplaces may feel less comfortable admitting mistakes than men.
The researchers surveyed 1,485 people working in the UK financial services industry.
In teams where at least 75% of workers were men, women reported less comfort admitting mistakes and less confidence that mistakes would be treated as learning opportunities.
The gender gap was almost absent in workplaces where women were the majority.
The study examined responses to a hypothetical work mistake, not actual mistakes or disciplinary records.
- Who
- Researchers at the London School of Economics studied 1,485 financial services workers.
- What
- The study found women in male-heavy workplaces felt more burdened about admitting mistakes than men.
- When
- The survey was conducted in September 2020; the study was published on October 8, 2026, according to the article.
- Where
- UK financial services workplaces.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
But formal rules and organisational culture are different.
In teams where men make up more than 75%, women feel uncomfortable admitting mistakes and are less confident that those mistakes will be accepted as opportunities to learn.
Innovation comes from the process of learning from failure.
This may be the result of unequal opportunities to learn, not differences in ability.
Researchers surveyed workers in the UK financial services industry.
The study was published in Frontiers in Organizational Psychology.
- Participants
- 1,485 UK financial services workers
- Women participants
- 1,205
- Men participants
- 280
- Male-heavy teams
- At least 75% men
- Mistake-admission comfort
- Women scored 5.46 and men 5.94 out of 7 in male-heavy workplaces
- Learning from mistakes
- Women scored 4.20 and men 4.54 out of 7 in male-heavy workplaces
Sources
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