Confidence, convergence and caretakers

An interesting recent post from Jessica Valenti on 'why the female confidence gap is a sham' has made me rethink PP Factor 3.    PP Factor 3 refers to women's greater reluctance to put themselves forward for jobs, or for promotions, as one of the explanations for flatter careers and lower pay.  I've been in the habit of labelling this as 'lack of self-confidence'  but it needs a broader and more nuanced description. Valenti's piece is a guffaw at a new book The Confidence Code, which argues that American women need more confidence.  "It's true," she says, "that there's a gendered disparity in confidence..but the 'confidence gap' is not a personal defect…
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