We investigate the strategic use of incompetence in a laboratory experiment where individuals communicate beliefs about their own abilities when an undesirable task has to be assigned to and performed by someone in a group. We exogenously vary the gender stereotype of the task to examine its effect on the gender gap in strategic incompetence and on being assigned the undesirable task. Preliminary results indicate that individuals engage in strategic incompetence, which reduces the likelihood of being assigned the task. With experience, gender stereotypes about relative ability cause women and men to engage more in strategic incompetence when their gender is believed to be less able.