Intelligent women get less help at work, study finds

A study of 826 people in the United States and China found that women with higher scores on intelligence tests were seen by teammates as more hostile, received less help and were undermined more often. High-scoring men did not face the same pattern, suggesting that assumptions about gender and warmth may shape how colleagues treat women at work.

The researchers studied 432 business students in US project teams and 394 employees at a financial company in China. The effects were small, and the findings show an association rather than proof that perceptions caused the treatment; participants also reported their own experiences, and the research did not examine race or ethnicity. The authors say repeated negative treatment could contribute to anxiety, self-doubt and feeling out of place.