An underrepresented picture
Much of what shapes public understanding of neurodivergent conditions — the research, the diagnostic criteria, the stereotypes — was built on studies of boys and men. As a result, neurodivergent women have historically been underrepresented, misdiagnosed, or diagnosed far later in life, often only after decades of feeling like they were simply working harder than everyone else to keep up.
Common experiences among neurodivergent women
- A lifetime of masking, consciously copying social behaviour to fit in, often at significant emotional cost.
- Misdiagnosis with anxiety or depression, when the underlying cause is an undiagnosed neurodivergent condition.
- A diagnosis only after a child's own assessment prompts recognition of the same traits in themselves.
- Chronic burnout from the extra effort of navigating a world, and often a workplace, not designed with their processing style in mind.
Why this matters in the workplace
Women who reach adulthood without a diagnosis have typically developed their own compensatory strategies, which can look, from the outside, like everything is fine. This can mean genuine struggles go unnoticed and unsupported for years, and that late-diagnosed women may need time and space to process a significant shift in self-understanding on top of their day-to-day workload.
What good support looks like
- Trusting self-reported needs, rather than requiring extensive proof before offering support.
- Flexibility around working patterns that accounts for the added load many women carry outside of work.
- Manager training that reflects how traits can present differently in women, not just the more commonly recognised patterns.
- A genuinely confidential, low-stigma way to disclose and request adjustments at any career stage.
Frequently asked questions
Why are women diagnosed with autism or ADHD later than men, on average? Largely because diagnostic criteria and clinical awareness were built around how these conditions present in boys, meaning traits common in women are more likely to be missed or misattributed to something else.
Does a late diagnosis change what support someone needs? It can — many late-diagnosed women need time to reassess their own history and strategies in light of a new understanding, alongside whatever practical workplace adjustments follow.
What's a simple first step for employers? Make clear, visible, and repeated that reasonable adjustments are available on the basis of need, not only a formal diagnosis, and that requesting them will be met with support, not scepticism.