Women often face neglect on social media platforms, whereas men receive more attention. Here’s the reason behind this discrepancy

Women who share their expertise on social media often don’t get as much attention as men in similar fields. But we can change this with a few simple steps. Research shows that women experts receive fewer followers, likes, and reposts compared to men, even though they make similar posts and follow similar numbers of people. This means men get more chances for professional opportunities and recognition because of their social media presence.

Why does this happen? One reason is that society still sees men as more authoritative. Men are often seen as the ones who know best and are listened to more, while women’s knowledge isn’t always valued as much.

To fix this, we need to give more visibility to women’s expertise. Employers can help by sharing women’s social media posts on their official channels, with permission of course. Tech companies can also change their algorithms to suggest following more women experts and boost their posts. And we as users can do our part by following and sharing women’s posts more often.

But some women are hesitant to share their expertise online because they fear hateful comments and criticism. Social networks need to do better at stopping this kind of behavior by enforcing their rules more effectively.

When we see hateful comments or posts that deny women’s expertise, we should report them. Engaging with this content only makes it more visible, so it’s best to ignore it and report it instead. And if someone we know posts something inappropriate, we can talk to them in person about why it’s wrong.

By taking these simple actions, we can help give women the recognition they deserve on social media and challenge the bias that favors men’s expertise over women’s.

Repurposed article originally published in Forbes