Women who scored higher on cognitive tests were rated as more hostile by teammates and got less help from them, in studies of 432 US business students and 394 Chinese finance workers, a pattern that did not hold for men

According to this new study, intelligent women get less help from their teammates (Canva)

“One is not born, but rather becomes a woman.” The famous quote was written by Simone de Beauvoir, a French author, academician and feminist. The quote captures the struggle of women to fit into roles defined by society rather than being allowed to shape their own identities and ambitions. From the way they are expected to walk to how they are expected to look and behave, everything is predetermined by society, and women even today continue to navigate through the expectations that men do not always face in the same way.If you are one of those who think these were the talks of older times, then you might want to reconsider. According to the Women in the Workplace Progress Report 2026, 49% of professional women cited company culture as the single greatest barrier to their career progression, surpassing pay disparity and direct promotion structural hurdles. Someone once said that the world is not made for women; they just learnt to walk through it. Sometimes, these barriers are not just about being directly denied opportunities but also about how women are perceived when they demonstrate their abilities.A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology reveals an unsettling example of this, finding that women who scored higher on cognitive ability tests were perceived as more hostile by their teammates and received less help from them. Interestingly, the same pattern did not hold for men.

When intelligence becomes a disadvantage: What the study found

What happens when intelligence becomes a disadvantage? Image- Canva

Most of us think our intelligence will become our advantage; it will help us get a job or in our studies. But what happens when the same intelligence acts against you? What if being intelligent makes it harder to fit in, earn the trust of colleagues or receive the support we need to succeed?A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, titled Understanding the Intersection of Gender and Cognitive Ability on Interpersonal Outcomes: A Multistudy Investigation, examines this rather uncomfortable possibility. Researchers studied 432 business students in the US and 394 finance professionals in China to understand how cognitive ability and gender influence relationships between colleagues.The findings revealed an interesting pattern. Women who scored higher on cognitive ability tests were more likely to be perceived as hostile by their teammates. These perceptions were associated with greater victimisation and less help from colleagues, both in work-related tasks and personal matters. In the Chinese workplace sample, highly capable women were also perceived as less communal.Interestingly, the same pattern did not hold for men. Men with higher cognitive scores did not face the same negative perceptions and, in the Chinese sample, were actually seen as less hostile and received more help from their colleagues.The researchers suggest that this may reflect the different expectations society places on men and women. While confidence and competence are often accepted as signs of leadership in men, women displaying similar qualities may be judged differently. Their abilities do not necessarily change, but the way others interpret their behaviour can.

Why capable women are perceived differently: The gender gap in workplace support

Society expects women to retain a certain pre-decided role (Image- Canva)

According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2026, women account for 41.8% of the workforce across the 62 economies covered by LinkedIn data. However, their representation drops sharply as they move up the corporate ladder. From making up 46% of entry-level employees, women’s representation falls to just 23% in the C-suite. In other words, the higher the position, the fewer women we see occupying it.So, what happens along the way?The study offers one possible explanation. Society has predetermined what the roles and ambitions of a man and woman must be. This is known as social role theory. In it, people associate men with qualities like ambition, confidence and assertiveness, while women are traditionally expected to be warm, cooperative and accommodating. These expectations can influence how the same behaviour is interpreted depending on who displays it.For instance, a man who speaks confidently, challenges an idea or takes charge of a discussion may be seen as decisive and capable. A woman displaying the same qualities, however, may be perceived as difficult, hostile or less approachable. This is closely linked to what researchers call the ‘implied communality deficit’, where women who demonstrate high levels of competence are perceived as lacking the warmth and cooperation traditionally expected of them.The consequences can extend beyond how colleagues describe them. When teammates perceive women more negatively, they may be less willing to offer help, collaborate or include them in important work-related interactions. Over time, such workplace dynamics can make professional growth more difficult, even when women have the skills and abilities required to succeed.This does not mean that every capable woman faces the same treatment or that workplace inequality can be explained by one factor alone. However, the findings do raise an important question: if women are judged not only by the work they do but also by whether their behaviour fits society’s expectations of them, how equal are the opportunities available to them in the first place?