Imposter Syndrome Isn't Just Hurting Women's Careers — It's Killing the Environment

Women who experience imposter syndrome tend to doubt their abilities and accomplishments and consistently fear being exposed as an "imposter" or a fraud, someone who doesn't actually deserve the recognition or success they've genuinely achieved.

Imposter syndrome includes second-guessing oneself in a professional setting, and this behavior is affecting more than just the careers of women -- it's negatively affecting potential progress with climate change, according to a recent Just Energy survey.

According to the poll, women were almost eight percent more likely to say they believe in climate change, agreeing that it is "real and caused by humans." But when asked to rate their understanding of the issue on a scale of 0 to 10 (low understanding to high understanding), women gave themselves an average of 50 out of 100, while men were more confident, rating themselves an average of 100 out of 100. Researchers also discovered that women were seven percent more likely than men to believe that climate change is caused by human activity.

While more women than men say they believe climate change is caused by humans, more men than women claim to be fully confident in their understanding of the concept, according to the study.

And the energy sector -- one of the fastest growing job categories in America -- is made up of predominantly male employees.

Therefore, although more women demonstrate a better knowledge of climate change, fewer women are actually working in the field of renewable energy, or the field working to bring an end to the climate change crisis.

The study is an analysis of 800 surveys completed by Americans 14 and older.

Just Energy asked the respondents 10 questions all related to climate change, whether they believed in the concept, who they believe to be responsible and why they are responsible, and what they feel their understanding of the subject is.

The survey also explored how other demographics feel about climate change.

Researchers discovered that millennials -- the generation that came of age during the hottest 10-year period of the last century -- were the least likely generation to believe that climate change is "real and happening now."

Further, 19 percent of millennials think it is "less likely" that their futures will be affected by climate change, which is a higher percentage than any other generation.

When asked to rank global issues based on how the respondent would personally prioritize them, those with less education were more likely to rank government corruption over climate change.

And the baby boomer generation is more likely to think climate change is out of our control, regardless of the proven effects of greenhouse gas emissions like methane from meat and dairy production. Forty-six percent of boomer respondents believe it's out of our control, compared to just 27 percent of millennials and 25 percent of Gen Z.

Since the late 19th century, the average surface temperature of planet Earth has risen 2.0 degrees Fahrenheit. Sixteen of the 17 warmest years ever recorded have occurred since 2001. And these changes have been shown to be caused largely by increased carbon dioxide emissions and other human-made emissions into the atmosphere, according to NASA.