Women brag awfully. And according to a new study from Northwestern University, we need to improve if we want to move forward in the workplace.

Researchers wondered why competent, high-performing women were not chosen for jobs in which they would excel. They knew there was gender bias; A survey of recruiting orchestral musicians conducted more than a decade ago found that blind auditions employed 30% more women than they knew the candidates’ gender.

But the Northwest team wanted to identify the reason for this bias – and why MBA women generally earn 60% less than men who don’t go to school for ten years. Therefore, they divided the MBA students into two teams and each asked to choose a leader for a competition that would give them a cash prize.

Each participant had five minutes to convince the team why they would become the best leader. Ultimately, women were chosen 33.3% less often than they should have performed in a previous competition.

The reason? Men were much more willing to brag about their abilities; in particular, how successful they were in the previous league and what they could promise for the current league. Participants knew that their team members were exaggerated, but that did not change the outcome. The bottom line: Women should brag more.

Still, many women are afraid to brag for fear of rubbing people the wrong way. And unfortunately, this is a problem – we have not progressed where women can apply the same tactics as men without fear of being criticized or punished. But there are ways to let people know your worth diplomatically.

An excellent book to read on this topic is The Secrets of Women with Six Figures by Barbara Stanny: Surprising Strategies to Increase Your Income and Change Your Life. “The lack of” chutzpah, “perhaps more than anything,” writes Stanny, “explains why the pay gap remains and the glass ceiling is still intact.” She offers advice to express yourself and frolic elegantly.