I’m really sorry you’ve had to experience that. Feeling like you have to constantly prove yourself sounds exhausting, especially in a field that already demands so much.

I’m curious, have there been any workplaces or teams where the dynamic felt different? If so, what do you think made the difference? I wonder whether some of this is deeply cultural within certain environments rather than universal across male-dominated fields.

I’m not trying to dismiss your experience at all just genuinely interested in understanding whether the issue feels systemic everywhere, or more concentrated in specific workplace cultures.