For all the talk about women needing to break the glass ceiling in the workplace, a new study finds that women may be their own worst enemy in the professional world.

Reuters reports that a 2008 study of more than 28,000 women and men from 34 countries, which was conducted as part of U.S. behavioral scientist Shannon L. Goodson’s new book The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance: Earning What You’re Worth in Sales, found that women are less likely to promote themselves and network than their male counterparts.

Professional women in Britain, the United States and China were more likely to promote their interests, whereas women in New Zealand, Sweden, Australia and Canada are the most timid in this regard.

"Women did not create the glass ceiling, the invisible barrier blamed for limiting their ability to earn what they’re worth, but they help maintain it," Goodson said.

Goodson’s research found that while most men had no qualms about touting their contributions, and even sometimes lying about them, women still cling to the myth that self-promotion is "socially unacceptable," "unladylike" and "morally suspect." She also found that rising women sometimes sabotage the chances of other female workers seeking promotion, and that women executives may not be as encouraging or supportive of female staff. Because of this, many women surveyed actually said they prefer male managers, claiming they are more consistent and fair-minded.

In a scientific paper entitled "The Role of Gender and Attitude Toward ‘Selling’ vs ‘Task’ Orientation in Executive Career Advancement," Goodson said: "Clearly, for women, there remains a missing link between performance and payoff." The absent ingredient, she found, is "the ability of women to comfortably and consistently draw the attention we deserve to the contributions we make."