Latest / Women at Work: Career, Leadership & Modern Work / Why Women Face a Higher Credibility Tax at Work
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, I want to talk about something that I think almost every woman listening has experienced but probably doesn't have a name for. I'm calling it the 'credibility tax.' Luna: I already have an idea of where you're going with this, because I've lived it. But give me the definition. Lucas: The credibility tax is the extra burden women carry to be heard and believed in professional settings. It's not just about being interrupted — it's about having your ideas attributed to someone else, or needing to present the same information multiple times before it's accepted as valid. Luna: Right, and there's actually some great research on this. A 2023 study from the University of Colorado Boulder found that in meetings, women's contributions are 14 percent less likely to be credited to them compared to men's. Lucas: Fourteen percent is significant. And the study controlled for role, seniority, and even the quality of the idea. It's not that women are saying less valuable things — it's that listeners are filtering through a bias that says 'a man probably said this first.' Luna: There's a name for that cognitive bias: source amnesia. You remember the idea, but you forget who said it, and your brain defaults to filling in the blank with someone who fits the stereotype of a credible source. Lucas: And who fits that stereotype? Historically, a white man in a suit. So when a woman — especially a woman of color — speaks up, the idea has to fight through an extra layer of doubt before it lands. Luna: I remember a specific instance early in my career. I was the only woman in a product strategy meeting, and I suggested a pivot in our go to market approach. Silence. Ten minutes later, a male colleague essentially rephrased my idea and everyone jumped on it. Lucas: And what did you do in that moment? Luna: I sat there fuming internally, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want to be seen as combative or jealous. That's the trap — you're penalized if you speak up, but you're also penalized if you stay silent. Lucas: The study calls that the 'double bind' of the credibility tax. If a woman asserts ownership of her idea, she risks being labeled as aggressive or self-promoting. If she lets it slide, she reinforces the pattern. Luna: So what's the way out? I've tried different tactics over the years. One that works is having an ally in the room who can redirect credit. If a male colleague says 'actually, Luna raised that point earlier,' it lands differently than if I say it myself. Lucas: That's a great tactic. And it puts the onus on men in the room to be intentional about giving credit. But the burden shouldn't be entirely on women to fix this. Luna: Agreed. But until the system changes, we need individual strategies. One thing I started doing was documenting my ideas in writing before meetings. A shared document, a Slack message — something timestamped. That way, if someone repeats my idea, I can point to the record. Lucas: Create a paper trail. That's smart. And it ties into something I read about 'idea ownership' — the practice of explicitly claiming credit in a non-confrontational way. For example, saying 'I'm glad my suggestion from last week resonated' rather than 'that was my idea.' Luna: Exactly. The phrasing matters. You want to be seen as collaborative, not territorial. But you also want to be seen as the originator. Lucas: There's another layer to this that I think is important to name: the intersection with race. A 2022 study from LeanIn.Org found that Black women are 20 percent more likely than white women to say they have to provide more evidence of their competence than others. Luna: So the credibility tax is even higher for women of color. They face a compounded challenge — both gender bias and racial bias. And the tactics that work for white women might not work the same way for them. Lucas: Right. For example, the 'paper trail' strategy could backfire if a Black woman is seen as too aggressive in asserting her ownership. So it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Luna: One thing I've seen work across the board is the use of 'we' language combined with a subtle nudge. Like, 'we discussed this approach in our last meeting, and I think building on my earlier point, we could try X.' It frames the idea as shared but still anchors it to you. Lucas: That's a really elegant way to reclaim credit without triggering the likeability penalty. And it's backed by research from Harvard Business School that found women who use collaborative language are perceived as more competent and more likable. Luna: Of course, the ideal scenario is that organizations take responsibility for de-biasing their meeting culture. That means managers actively tracking who speaks and whose ideas get picked up, and intervening when patterns emerge. Lucas: Absolutely. Some companies have started using 'meeting equity' tools that track speaking time by gender. But it's still early days. Most organizations don't even know they have a credibility tax problem. Luna: So part of the work is making it visible. Naming the phenomenon. That's why I love that we're talking about this today. Lucas: Speaking of making things visible — we should mention that this show exists because of listeners like you who support us. If you've ever gotten a useful tactic from an episode like this one, consider throwing a couple of dollars our way. Luna: Yeah, it genuinely makes a difference. We keep the show ad-free and independent, and listener support is what makes that possible. Lucas: You can do that at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Even a small amount goes a long way. And it helps us keep having these conversations. Luna: Exactly. So back to the credibility tax — one thing I want to emphasize is that this isn't just about individual tactics. It's about changing the culture so that women don't have to fight for credit in the first place. Lucas: Right. And part of that cultural change is men actively stepping up as allies. Not just in the moment, but by advocating for women behind the scenes — in promotion discussions, in project assignments, in who gets visibility. Luna: I want to give a concrete example of that. A friend of mine works at a tech company where her manager, a man, started a practice of 'credit checks' after meetings. He would ask the team, 'Whose idea was that? Let's make sure we credit the source.' Lucas: That's a powerful norm to set. It makes the act of giving credit a team habit, not an individual burden. And it signals that leadership values attribution. Luna: Exactly. And the effect was immediate. Women in that team reported feeling more confident speaking up because they knew their manager had their back. Lucas: So the credibility tax isn't inevitable. It's a pattern that can be disrupted with intentionality. And the first step is awareness. Luna: Which is what we're trying to build here. So if you've experienced the credibility tax, or if you've found ways to navigate it, we'd love to hear from you. Share your story with us. Lucas: We'll put some resources in the show notes, including a link to that University of Colorado study. And we'll be back next week with another conversation. Luna: Until then, keep owning your ideas — and keep supporting each other.