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Abstract
The confidence gap describes a phenomenon where women display and experience lower confidence compared to men. This study sought to understand: To what extent does a confidence gap exist between undergraduate college students at Colorado College who exclusively identify as male or female? The results of the study found that a moderate to large confidence gap exists between female and male students at Colorado College, with females reporting less confidence than males in five out of six content domains. The research showed that male undergraduate students were more confident than females in the categories of general self-perception, investing and financial topics, self-promotion, leadership skills, and negotiation – aligning with previous research on the confidence gap. The only content domain that did not report statistical significance was “starting a project or initiative,” which differs from other research pertaining to confidence in entrepreneurial activity. Since this confidence gap exists at the undergraduate level at Colorado College, college could be the environment to potentially address and help close the confidence gap before students step out into the workforce. If left unaddressed, this underlying confidence gap has wide-reaching negative effects on women’s careers and economic positions in society.