Why Women Stay Out of the Spotlight at Work

A study of 86 in-depth interviews with women in a professional development program at a large nonprofit organization found many participants decided to join the program for its networking and educational opportunities, and cited the chance to contribute to research as an added benefit, reports the Harvard Business Review . However, women consciously rejected calling attention to themselves, opting instead for a risk-averse, conflict-avoidant strategy in the office. Women used this "intentional invisibility" when they avoided conflict with colleagues, softened their assertiveness with niceness, and accomplished tasks by discretely moving things forward without drawing attention to themselves. These women often ended up feeling well-liked but underappreciated. The underlying motivations of this behavior include the desire to avoid conflict or backlash from bosses and colleagues, to feel authentic at work, and to balance professional and personal demands. In terms of backlash avoidance, women aware of gender biases applied intentional invisibility to limit their exposure to it. Meanwhile, women spurned the executive, self-promoting leadership style, preferring a mission-oriented, communal style. They labeled the pursuit of visibility as self-serving and rejected the idea that they should have adopt norms set up to benefit traditionally male characteristics. Moreover, mothers were more likely than other women to welcome intentional invisibility, as it gave them more time and energy to meet family obligations and avoid backlash from their partners.