In a recent issue of Fortune’s Broadsheet, Paige McGlauflin pointed out how neurodivergence is a career-maker for men like Elon Musk – who credits his “genius” and success to Asperger’s. Richard Branson, who has said he has dyslexia, Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, and musician Kanye West have made similar remarks, with West rapping, “That’s my bipolar shit…That’s my superpower. Ain’t no disability. I am a superhero,” in his song “Yikes.” Life isn’t always easy for neurodivergent men – even these four whose accomplishments are legendary – but the fact that their conditions have become topics of many conversations, including this one –means that their conditions are becoming normalized, which is a good thing for those who have similar issues. It also speaks to their privilege which – surprise, surprise – is not a given, especially for women.
While real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran has said dyslexia made her a millionaire, she is one of only a few high-profile women in business to come forward with a diagnosis. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that few women break through to the C-suite, and the reality that women seldom receive the funding to become successful entrepreneurs. Women are also less likely to be diagnosed with a number of disorders, with 25% of women with chronic conditions saying a health care provider ignored or dismissed their symptoms.
The majority of research on neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and ADHD has also been focused on boys and men. In fact scientists know far less about the female body than they do about the male body – probably because in 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began recommending scientists exclude women of childbearing years from early clinical drug trials in case they became pregnant. Researchers also worried that hormonal fluctuations could muddy results. Thankfully that changed in 1993 when it was mandated that women and minorities be included in medical research funded by the National Institutes of Health — but that doesn’t apply to privately funded studies, which means there are still huge knowledge gaps.
This lack of knowledge often results in women being misdiagnosed as anxious, depressed, or simply “sensitive.” Women from around the world report that doctors have tied their health problems to their mental health – often blaming depression or anxiety. They’ve also been told their medical concern is because they’re overweight (or under), are lacking motivation (aka lazy), practice poor self-care, or that it’s PMS, menopause, or (fill in the blank), which often delays effective treatment.
Jenara Nerenberg, author of Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You, wasn’t satisfied with her own diagnosis of anxiety and was determined to figure out why she was struggling when she dove into the field of women’s mental and neurological health. She quickly realized that many women don’t learn about their neurological differences, if they learn at all, until they are adults. She suggests that leads to a “lost generation” of women, riddled with shame and low self-esteem, who “have no name for their life experiences and feelings.”
“The consensus in the research now is that, because women and girls are socialized from a young age to prioritize picking up on social cues, many women blend in or ‘mask.’ They’re essentially camouflaging, but it requires a lot of emotional strain to do so. So many women might identify as introverted or very sensitive or they might experience migraines or sensory overload and just think that’s how life is,” Nerenberg said in a 2020 interview. “It’s usually later in a woman’s life that they will get to a point of trying to figure out what’s really going on. Many women start to ask questions as they take on more in life—for example, as they graduate from college or move in with a partner or become parents.”
Zoe Fenson, who was diagnosed with ADHD in her 30s, wrote in The Week that we cannot deny that men and women experience neurodiversity in very different ways, “in large part because of how society molds us.” Given that women are taught to internalize and men are taught to externalize, her gender and symptoms kept her off of everyone’s radar as she was growing up. “I learned that managing my lapses in attention, memory, and organization was my responsibility alone. Even as I ran headfirst into wall after cognitive wall, first in school and then at work, I never assumed the fault lay with anyone but myself. I internalized the idea that if I wasn’t doing something ‘right’ — which usually meant promptly, neatly, and with a minimum of fuss — it was because I wasn’t trying hard enough. Over time, I learned to mask my struggles in short sprints: talking my way out of pickles that my inattention got me into, joking and deferring and flattering and apologizing.”
By and large white men are presented as the face of neurodivergence by the media, but the American India Foundation (AIF) is one organization working to change that. The organization is aware that current intervention systems are overlooking or mistakenly diagnosing women who exhibit neurodivergent traits, and it recognizes the need for intersectional research. Citing diagnostic bias and an incomplete understanding of neurodivergence and its manifestation in different individuals, they see the current diagnostic system as, “Detrimental for young patients seeking support, and (can) prevent them from accessing the resources required by their condition. When we speak of diversity, we often forget how intersectionality comes into play. Certain social identities such as gender, race and socio-economic status cut across almost every sphere of life. It is crucial to remember the importance of intersectionality in order to develop more inclusive solutions which can address the needs of people with varying privileges and histories.”
While the glass ceiling is hard enough to break for a neurotypical woman, neurodivergent women struggle with that and whether or not to disclose on their way to leadership, fearing discrimination and stigma that could prevent their climb. Isabelle O’Carroll writes in Refinery29 that, “For many women, their traits may not conform to most people’s idea of what neurodiversity looks like. Dyslexia, autism, Tourette’s, epilepsy, ADHD and OCD, for instance, all suffer to some degree from a lack of understanding. And the ways in which ADHD and autism manifest in women are particularly poorly understood.”
O’Carroll chose not to disclose, however, many do, often to mixed results. O’Carroll shared the story of Eleanor, who left one job because it devolved into a toxic situation, only to land a job later where she disclosed immediately, and has had a very positive experience. Carlene, an entrepreneur and CEO of a tech company has always been up front about her dyslexia diagnosis and told O’Carroll, “I think the best strategy is to tell people. It’s worse if you don’t, because people often pigeonhole certain traits; because you can’t remember or you don’t know something they’ll think you’re stupid. That’s one of the reasons I talk about dyslexia because a lot of people have misconceptions and see it as a negative. I don’t think enough people actually really understand it.”
Ultimately, to see a seismic shift and bring more neurodivergent women into leadership positions, organizations will have to change their perceptions around what makes a great leader, and that takes work. As McGlauflin writes, “Organizations must be diligent about creating evaluation and promotion systems that prioritize performance metrics over personality preferences.” Neurodivergent conditions are often concealable, and women have continued the practice and become pros at masking, but wouldn’t it be nice if they didn’t have to. With awareness and strong leadership, neurodivergent women can and will succeed and maybe, just maybe experience the same levels of acceptance that their white, male counterparts do.