Fears of Backlash Underlie Gendered Participation in Question-and-Answer Sessions

Gender disparities in participation at conferences is a well-studied phenomenon, and seem to be propelled by men being more likely to initiate questions. An unexplored explanation for why this gap may occur is that women may be more likely than men to fear backlash for their participation. Across four studies, we tested fears of backlash as a mechanism to explain gender gaps in Q&A session participation. Fears of backlash explained the variance between gender and question-asking intentions in a hypothetical scenario. Women’s reduced fears of backlash were attenuated in friendly as compared to typical audience, but friendly audiences also emboldened men to take up more space. There was not an effect of Q&A formats on gendered participation. When considering why women might be less