The Digital Age’s Amplification of Social Norms on Women in the Workforce

We might lose our progress toward gender equality in the workforce due to this new wave of traditionalism. For decades, women have established themselves in many industries, even creating many female-dominated fields. Yet, the same cannot be said for economics, where women are still underrepresented in many conversations. Although women have fought vigorously to break the glass ceiling, deeply ingrained social norms and expectations still limit their chance at equal participation. Today, this lasting obstacle for equality is being aggravated by a new wave of conservatism on social media.

At the heart of the issue,  there are gender norms — the collective definition of “socially approved conduct” on a specific gender. These rules are often invisible, but their view on women’s role as caregivers significantly limit their choices and opportunities to participate in economic activities (GrOW) and discourage women from entering heavily male-dominated fields, such as economics, resulting in the severe lack of representation.

One of the most detrimental effects of these social norms is the “gender confidence gap”, where women have less self-estimated intelligence than men. This gap is reinforced by stereotypes that discourage women from appearing ambitious and to stay modest; therefore, they are less likely to participate in self-promotions, which is a key tool needed to climb the corporate ladder. According to June Carbone, employers are also more comfortable with men self-promoting rather than women; therefore, more men would start to progress in their career, leaving women, especially those in male-dominated fields, feeling overlooked leading to further hesitance, withdrawal, and less women representation in leadership roles.

Despite these challenges, feminist economists like Claudia Goldin, a 2023 Nobel prize winner for her research on the gender pay gap, and Barbara R. Bergmann, who is known for her coverage on women’s place in the economy, have tried their best to break the glass ceilings and the limitations they have based on their gender. With their senior positions and meaningful work, it shows young people that female economists are just as capable, leading to a wider acceptance of women into these fields and higher positions.

Even though there is progress being made, a new problem has emerged and gone unnoticed from the older generations. A new wave of conservatism has been trending on the internet since 2024, promoted by conservative influencers such as Ben Shapiro and Nick Fuentes, who say things like “men and women are not meant to be perfectly equivalent,” and “should [women] have secondary education” (2:12). Because these sexist ideas generate high engagement, the algorithms push these videos to a broader audience of young and impressionable men and women. The effect of this rhetoric is detrimental as it pushes gender norms, and encourages women to abandon their aspirations for a career. These types of content can foster aggression and entitlement among men in male dominated spaces, further alienating women.

To truly combat the underrepresentation of women, we must start at the beginning of the leaky pipeline — impressionable kids. Mid to late stage economists should connect with local high schools for conferences and speeches to encourage young women and the importance of media literacy. Schools should also include more prominent female figures in their curriculums. This would dismantle gender norms and normalize women in leadership roles for both boys and girls. As these changes become normalized, women can finally advance in their career without gender norms holding them back.

This movement is rapidly undoing the centuries of progress women made to make male dominated fields more accessible, while being completely overlooked by the older generations in power. Without tangible efforts, women will remain trapped by the limits of social norms. The gender topic has been talked about long enough, there must be a time where this field is open to all.

---

The views expressed in WiE opinion pieces are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the organisation, its partners, other members, or any other affiliated people and organisations. As ever-learning, critical-thinking people, these opinions are subject to revision and adjustment at any time. WiE welcome constructive feedback in the comments section below and reserve the right to delete any comment deemed inappropriate, rude, irrelevant, or abusive. All posts are for informative purposes only and, while they are accurate and authentic to the best of our knowledge, WiE accepts no liability for any errors or missing information.