Making a mistake at work can be embarrassing, but for some women, the experience may be particularly stressful when surrounded by male colleagues. New research suggests that workplace gender composition can influence how employees respond to mistakes, with women in male-dominated teams feeling less comfortable acknowledging errors and less likely to view them as opportunities to learn.
Published in Frontiers in Organizational Psychology, the study found that women working in teams where men accounted for at least 75% of employees were more reluctant to admit mistakes. However, this gender gap disappeared in workplaces where women formed the majority. “On paper, a mistake carries the same consequences whoever makes it,” said lead author Dr Grace Lordan of the London School of Economics. “But formal rules aren’t culture.”
Researchers surveyed more than 1,400 employees in the UK’s financial services sector, examining their willingness to acknowledge mistakes, expectations of punishment and attitudes towards learning from errors. Although the industry is traditionally male-dominated, women represented 81% of the study participants.
The findings revealed that women generally viewed workplace mistakes more negatively than men. They reported greater discomfort admitting errors and were less likely to regard mistakes as valuable learning experiences. These differences became particularly pronounced in heavily male-dominated teams. Researchers also found that employees of both genders tended to view mistakes more negatively in such environments.
In teams comprising more than 75% men, women’s comfort with admitting mistakes averaged 5.46 on a seven-point scale, compared with 5.94 among male colleagues. Women also scored lower in viewing mistakes as learning opportunities, at 4.20 compared with 4.54 for men. In workplaces with fewer male employees, however, women’s attitudes were comparable to or slightly more positive than men’s.
Interestingly, women did not report expecting greater formal punishment than men for making mistakes in comparable roles and settings. Researchers suggested that the real difference may lie in less visible workplace pressures, such as concerns about appearing incompetent or having errors remembered unfairly. “Women may feel on ‘thinner ice’ psychologically even with the same consequences on paper,” Lordan explained.
These findings could have broader implications for workplace innovation and career development. Employees who fear making mistakes may avoid challenging assignments, hesitate to experiment or miss valuable learning opportunities. Researchers encouraged managers, particularly men leading male-dominated teams, to openly acknowledge their own mistakes and foster environments where errors can be discussed constructively. Supportive peer networks for women may also help.
The researchers cautioned that the study relied on hypothetical scenarios and a predominantly female sample, limiting how widely its findings can be applied. Nevertheless, similar pressures may exist in other demanding industries, including technology, engineering and medicine. “Over time, freedom to fail could contribute to gaps in expertise, confidence and advancement, caused by unequal opportunity to learn, not ability,” Lordan concluded. “A more inclusive error culture benefits everyone.”
More information: Grace Lordan et al, Is it ok to make mistakes at work? Perceptions of differential treatment of mistakes by men and women in the workplace, Frontiers in Organizational Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/forgp.2026.1619562
Journal information: Frontiers in Organizational Psychology Provided by Frontiers