The Perfect Storm: Mental Load, Imposter Syndrome and the Gender Pay Gap [Episode 70]

Ditching Imposter Syndrome

Mental load, burnout, and imposter syndrome create a perfect storm that significantly contributes to the gender pay gap.

In this episode, we delve into some very concerning statistics from the 2024 Imposter Syndrome Research Study that show how these issues disproportionately affect women, leading to chronic stress and limiting their career growth.

The research highlights that over half of female employees are 'very concerned' about burnout, and 31% are at 'high risk'. Many are being driven to exhaustion by a combination of Imposter Syndrome coping strategies, impossible workloads, too many meetings, and juggling household responsibilities alongside their professional lives.

This episode challenges the cultural assumptions that still exist in workplaces, including the outdated notion that leadership roles are designed for people with housewives.

Join Clare as she explores actionable steps to address these systemic and cultural issues and shares practical solutions for a more equitable work environment for everyone.

What We'll Cover:

• The combination of mental load, burnout, and imposter syndrome is fuelling the gender pay gap.
• Women face a unique perfect storm of challenges that make it harder for them than for men to get promoted.
• Mental load often falls disproportionately on women, creating chronic stress, limiting their career growth, and forcing them to quit jobs they love.
• The problem with flexible working when you get promoted, and how this is driving the gender pay gap and lack of equity in leadership roles.
• Men play a key role in changing the conversation about this in the workplace.
• How we need to rethink what 'allyship' really means.
• Why organisations need to rewrite the rules on how work works, no longer designing senior positions that rely on outdated assumptions about domestic responsibilities.

Resources For This Episode:

• Get the white paper here - www.impostersyndromeresearch.com
• How is Imposter Syndrome impacting your organisation? Free diagnostic assessment here.
• Look for the 'Escaping The Stress Cycle' course in the Imposter Syndrome Hacks™ App - Get your first 30 days for free
• Shownotes: www.DitchingImposterSyndrome.com/podcast/070/

Join In The Discussion:

• Here's where we're talking about this in the private forum for the Imposter Syndrome Hacks™ app

Enjoyed This & Want More Around This Topic? Listen To These Episodes:

• Episode 67 - New Research: 3 Hidden Causes Of The Gender Pay Gap
• Episode 68 - How Women’s Imposter Syndrome Impacts the Gender Pay Gap
• Episode 69 - 8 Ways Women Pay for Men’s Imposter Syndrome
• Episode 48 - The 3 Pillars Of Imposter Syndrome & Burnout
• Episode 53 - Are You At Risk Of Burnout? What The 4 Ps Of Imposter Syndrome Predict