Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile
Impostor syndrome (IS) is a psychological phenomenon characterized by a self-perception of fraudulence and persistent doubt about one’s own abilities, despite demonstrated achievements. In academic contexts, this syndrome can affect professional development, self-esteem, and well-being. However, its...
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| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo publishedVersion enfoque cualitativo; entrevistas |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923 https://repositoriouba.sisbi.uba.ar/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.cgi?a=d&c=psocial&d=9923_oai |
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Universidad de Buenos Aires |
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Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) |
| language |
Español |
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spa |
| topic |
impostor syndrome, professional identity, gender, women scientists, academic work psicologia social; sociología; psicología; educación superior síndrome del impostor, trabajo científico, identidad profesional, género |
| spellingShingle |
impostor syndrome, professional identity, gender, women scientists, academic work psicologia social; sociología; psicología; educación superior síndrome del impostor, trabajo científico, identidad profesional, género Matter Recabal, Hanna Rebeca Fardella Cisternas, Carla Broitman Rojas, Claudio Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile |
| topic_facet |
impostor syndrome, professional identity, gender, women scientists, academic work psicologia social; sociología; psicología; educación superior síndrome del impostor, trabajo científico, identidad profesional, género |
| description |
Impostor syndrome (IS) is a psychological phenomenon characterized by a self-perception of fraudulence and persistent doubt about one’s own abilities, despite demonstrated achievements. In academic contexts, this syndrome can affect professional development, self-esteem, and well-being. However, its impact on women scientists remains underexplored, particularly in the Chilean context. This study aims to analyze how impostor syndrome influences work identity and career trajectories among Chilean women scientists. Using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews, the study examines the tensions between institutional expectations and personal perceptions of inadequacy. The findings reveal two main analytical categories. The first, “self-imposed excellence and the precarization of recognition,” describes the construction of a scientific identity shaped by extreme self-demands and the constant pursuit of external validation. The second category, “the woman available 24/7,” is characterized by hyper-availability in academic work and a feminized workload. This category also highlights the unequal distribution of academic tasks, whereby women scientists disproportionately assume undervalued teaching and administrative responsibilities, negatively affecting their emotional well-being and constraining their professional development. The study underscores the need to transform institutional norms in order to foster more equitable and sustainable working environments in science. |
| format |
Artículo publishedVersion enfoque cualitativo; entrevistas |
| author |
Matter Recabal, Hanna Rebeca Fardella Cisternas, Carla Broitman Rojas, Claudio |
| author_facet |
Matter Recabal, Hanna Rebeca Fardella Cisternas, Carla Broitman Rojas, Claudio |
| author_sort |
Matter Recabal, Hanna Rebeca |
| title |
Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile |
| title_short |
Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile |
| title_full |
Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile |
| title_fullStr |
Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile |
| title_sort |
gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: the impostor syndrome among women scientists in chile |
| publisher |
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| url |
https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923 https://repositoriouba.sisbi.uba.ar/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.cgi?a=d&c=psocial&d=9923_oai |
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1857041588330430464 |
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I28-R145-9923_oai2026-02-09 Matter Recabal, Hanna Rebeca Fardella Cisternas, Carla Broitman Rojas, Claudio 2026-02-06 Impostor syndrome (IS) is a psychological phenomenon characterized by a self-perception of fraudulence and persistent doubt about one’s own abilities, despite demonstrated achievements. In academic contexts, this syndrome can affect professional development, self-esteem, and well-being. However, its impact on women scientists remains underexplored, particularly in the Chilean context. This study aims to analyze how impostor syndrome influences work identity and career trajectories among Chilean women scientists. Using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews, the study examines the tensions between institutional expectations and personal perceptions of inadequacy. The findings reveal two main analytical categories. The first, “self-imposed excellence and the precarization of recognition,” describes the construction of a scientific identity shaped by extreme self-demands and the constant pursuit of external validation. The second category, “the woman available 24/7,” is characterized by hyper-availability in academic work and a feminized workload. This category also highlights the unequal distribution of academic tasks, whereby women scientists disproportionately assume undervalued teaching and administrative responsibilities, negatively affecting their emotional well-being and constraining their professional development. The study underscores the need to transform institutional norms in order to foster more equitable and sustainable working environments in science. El síndrome del impostor (SI) ha sido ampliamente estudiado en diversos campos. Este fenómeno psicológico, caracterizado por la duda constante sobre las propias capacidades y el temor a ser descubierto como un "fraude", tiene repercusiones significativas en el desarrollo profesional de las mujeres en contextos académicos. El objetivo de este artículo es describir el efecto del síndrome del impostor en las identidades laborales y su negociación en entornos de alto rendimiento y competencia. Mediante un enfoque metodológico cualitativo, se realizaron 8 entrevistas semiestructuradas con científicas destacadas de universidades chilenas.Los hallazgos revelan que las científicas chilenas experimentan una fuerte presión para mantener una dedicación total al trabajo, a menudo en detrimento de su vida personal. Este compromiso extremo se ve exacerbado por la presencia del síndrome del impostor, que refuerza la autoexigencia y la necesidad de demostrar constantemente sus atributos en el ámbito académico. Además, se identificó que las dinámicas institucionales perpetúan estereotipos de género y relaciones de poder asimétricas que limitan sus trayectorias profesionales. La investigación destaca la necesidad de cuestionar y redefinir las normas laborales en el entorno académico para promover un espacio más inclusivo y equitativo que valore el bienestar integral de sus miembros. application/pdf application/epub+zip text/html application/xml https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923 10.62174/psocial.9923 spa Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923/9743 https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923/9744 https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923/9745 https://publicaciones.sociales.uba.ar/index.php/psicologiasocial/article/view/9923/9746 Copyright (c) 2026 {PSOCIAL} {PSOCIAL}; Vol 10, No 2; e4 {PSOCIAL}; Vol 10, No 2; e4 2422-619X impostor syndrome, professional identity, gender, women scientists, academic work psicologia social; sociología; psicología; educación superior síndrome del impostor, trabajo científico, identidad profesional, género Gender, self-imposed demands, and professional identity: The impostor syndrome among women scientists in Chile Identidades y desafíos: El síndrome del impostor en mujeres científicas chilenas info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion enfoque cualitativo; entrevistas https://repositoriouba.sisbi.uba.ar/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.cgi?a=d&c=psocial&d=9923_oai |