Indeed, in academia, some men say they prefer to drop their titles to foster more informal relationships with colleagues and students. Not all women can afford to make the same choice, as their expertise is less likely to be taken for granted. Kretzenbacher believes that the gendered difference is “an expression of male privilege – that you as a male academic, you get the benefit of the doubt that you’re an expert, or that you are a professor or a doctor or something”. That benefit of the doubt gets extended to women, and certain types of women, less often. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210216-why-do-professional-titles-actually-matter