Why Do Women Say “I Don’t Know” More Than Men?
A new Pew study says it's not about what you know — it's about who's willing to guess.
Key takeaway: Yes — a new Pew Research Center study found women are far more likely than men to say “not sure” on factual questions, and researchers say the gap reflects confidence, not actual knowledge. Among the most politically engaged Americans, the gap between women and men nearly disappears, which means the…
By Dear Sarah · · Updated
Key takeaways
- A Pew Research Center study published July 16, 2026 found women are far more likely than men to answer “not sure” on factual political knowledge questions.
- Among the least civically engaged Americans, 59% of women said “not sure” to at least one question, compared with 38% of men.
- Among the most civically engaged Americans, the gender gap in “not sure” answers nearly disappeared, at 15% for women versus 13% for men.
- Pew researchers concluded that men are more likely to guess at factual questions rather than admit uncertainty, while women hold back even when they likely know the answer.
- Journalist Mary Ann Sieghart's research on the “authority gap” describes a similar pattern: society tends to assume competence in men by default and asks women to prove it first.
You've done this. Someone asks a question in a meeting, or a group text starts arguing about a fact, and you know the answer is in there somewhere — but what comes out is "I'm not totally sure" instead of just saying it. A new Pew Research Center study, published this week, says you're not imagining the pattern. Women are far more likely than men to answer "not sure" to basic factual questions, and the researchers say that gap reflects confidence, not actual knowledge. The gap isn't in your head, and it isn't about what you know. It's about who was taught it's safe to guess out loud.
Why do women say "I don't know" more than men?
Pew researcher Elisa Shearer and her team sorted more than 5,300 Americans into four groups based on how civically engaged they are — Mobilizers, Connectors, Spectators, and Outsiders — then asked everyone the same four factual political questions. Among the least engaged group, Outsiders, 59% of women said "not sure" to at least one question, compared with 38% of men. Among Spectators, it was 41% of women versus 24% of men. But here's the detail that actually matters: among Mobilizers, the most civically engaged group, the gap nearly vanished — 15% of women and 13% of men. The researchers were plain about what that tells us. Men are more likely to guess at these kinds of questions rather than admit they don't know, while women hold back even when they have a real shot at being right.
The pattern behind the numbers
This isn't a new finding dressed up in new data. British journalist Mary Ann Sieghart has spent years studying the same dynamic in her book The Authority Gap, and her core argument lines up with what Pew just found: we tend to assume a man knows what he's talking about until he proves otherwise, and assume the reverse for a woman. She's tracked how that plays out in real rooms — women getting talked over and having their expertise double-checked more often than equally qualified men, regardless of the actual accuracy of what either one is saying. The Pew data is a fresh, very concrete version of the same story: it was never really about who knew the answer. It was about who felt entitled to say it out loud.
Why it matters for her
If you're early in a career, or still in school, this catches up with you faster than you'd think. The people who raise a hand with a guess get treated like the ones who actually know the material — promotions and callbacks included — even when what they actually know isn't any different. It's the same current running under how online abuse is silencing women journalists and why women get judged more harshly than men for using AI at work: the bar for "sounding sure" was never the same for everyone. And it usually starts small — hedging an answer in a group project, softening a text before you hit send, opening a good idea with "this might be a dumb question, but." Learning to trust the self-worth Michelle Obama talked about at Essence Fest starts in these tiny, everyday moments, not just the big ones.
One thing to try today
Next time you catch yourself about to say "I don't know" and you actually have a decent guess, try this instead: "My best guess is X — tell me if I'm off." It keeps you honest about what you're unsure of without erasing what you do know. It's a small rewrite of one sentence, but it's the exact swap the Pew data says a lot of men are already making without thinking twice.
Quote to sit with
"Moving from silence into speech is for the oppressed, the colonized, the exploited, and those who stand and struggle side by side a gesture of defiance that heals, that makes new life and new growth possible." — bell hooks
💌 Sarah
Frequently asked questions
Does this Pew study mean women actually know less about politics than men?
No. Researchers found the gap was in confidence, not knowledge — women were more likely to say “not sure” even in situations where they were just as likely to know the right answer. Among the most politically engaged people, the gap nearly disappeared, which points to comfort with guessing, not underlying knowledge, as the real difference.
What is the “authority gap”?
It's a term used by journalist Mary Ann Sieghart to describe how society tends to assume a man knows what he's talking about until proven otherwise, while a woman often has to prove her competence first. She argues this shapes everything from meetings to hiring decisions, regardless of who's actually more accurate.
Why are men more likely to guess on factual questions than women?
Researchers point to socialization: men are typically not penalized as heavily for guessing wrong, so they take the risk more often, while women are taught early on that being wrong looks worse for them, so they hedge instead.
How can I stop hedging when I'm not fully sure about something?
Try swapping “I don't know” for “my best guess is…” when you actually have a reasonable idea. It keeps you honest about your uncertainty without erasing the knowledge you do have, and it's a small habit that can change how people read your confidence over time.
Where does the Pew Research data on women and “not sure” answers come from?
It's from a Pew Research Center report published July 16, 2026, based on a survey of more than 5,300 Americans sorted into four civic-engagement groups, led by researcher Elisa Shearer and colleagues.
Sources
- Highly engaged Americans know more about politics — Pew Research Center
- Methodology: How Pew Research measured civic engagement — Pew Research Center
- The Authority Gap: Why the World Still Takes Women Less Seriously — Women of Influence
Keep reading
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- A novel made entirely of letters just won the Women's Prize — Virginia Evans wrote a whole novel out of letters and just won the Women's Prize for it. Here's what her story is quietly telling the rest of us.
- What Did Michelle Obama Say About Self-Worth at Essence Fest? — Michelle Obama sat down with Keke Palmer at Essence Fest and said the quiet part out loud: your worth was never up for someone else's vote.
- Why Quotes from Women Matter — Women's voices carry lived experiences that expand empathy, resilience, and inclusivity.