Women talk about 9% more when companies use an AI notetaker in team meetings, a finding the Power Dynamics in Meetings Report 2026 says creates parity as “gender shapes how people show up in meetings more than we often realize.” The co-called “Babble Hypothesis” says men often speak earlier and more often, with one study showing that every 39 seconds of airtime earned someone another “leader” vote, regardless of what they said. However, the data also finds that women enter “ghost mode” (remaining muted or off camera) 19% more than men. The study urges several actions to reduce gender-driven inequities in meetings, including intentionally giving everyone the right to speak and always giving credit to the person who first voiced an idea. The study analyzed almost 160,000 meetings over two months.
