Does Sex‐biased Job Advertising “Aid and Abet” Sex Discrimination?¹

Abstract

Two studies are reported which indicate that both sex‐biased wording in job advertisements and the placement of help‐wanted ads in sex‐segregated newspaper columns discourage men and women from applying for “opposite‐sex” jobs for which they might well be qualified. Both studies were originally conducted and presented as part of legal testimony in actual sex discrimination cases.

System justification and the defense of committed relationship ideology.

“…On the other hand, it is also feasible that men's defense of committed relationship ideology may be more responsive to threat-especially system threat. This reasoning is based on the fact that the social and economic advantages of the overall system are severely skewed towards men (e.g., see Jackman, 1994;Sidanius & Pratto, 1999), an asymmetry thought to be maintained in large part by traditional social roles, stereotypes, values, and norms of male-female dynamics (e.g., Bem & Bem, 1973;Deaux, 1985;Eagly, 1987;Glick & Fiske, 1996, 2001Jackman, 1994;Pratto & Walker, 2004;Rudman & Glick, 1999). Consistent with this account, data from several different cultures suggests that men, as compared to women, show greater overall support for traditional social structures and hierarchies, and less support for equality (Sidanius, Levin, Liu, & Pratto, 2000;Sidanius, Pratto, & Bobo, 1994).…”

Women and Gender Psychology. Past, present and future. Notes on a seminar by Rhoda Unger

“…Como ejemplo de una investigación que sirvió para poner en evidencia la naturaleza política de proceso de contratación laboral, está la investigación de Fidell (1970), como una demostración perfecta de la discriminación. Además está el trabajo de Sandra y Daryl Bem (1973), sobre el vocabulario que se utiliza para anunciar una oferta laboral. Así como el trabajo de Philip Goldberg (1968), en donde se evalúan unos ensayos que demuestran que por el sólo hecho de estar identificados como trabajo femenino, se consideran de menor calidad.…”

Further Reflections on Sandra Lipsitz Bem’s Impact

“…In the 1970s, many women (and some men) in psychology were examining ways that sexism and traditional gender roles were manifested in people's thinking and actions; in addition, feminist psychologists were challenging psychology's own androcentric biases (see Shields 2015, for a review). Sandra Bem's first published article on gender (co-authored with Daryl Bem) examined how the wording in job advertisements could contribute to sex discrimination (Bem and Bem 1973a). Her subsequent work on psychological androgyny and gender schemas challenged traditional notions of gender.…”

“…In her first published paper (based on her dissertation research), she examined children's use of language as a means of self-instruction (Bem 1967). Then, a few years later, she conducted her first study on gender (co-authored with Daryl Bem) testing how the wording in job advertisements could contribute to sexist discrimination (Bem and Bem 1973a). Their study occurred at a time when feminist researchers were increasingly examining ways that language defines and reinforces gender roles (see Thorne and Henley 1975; also see Bailey and LaFrance 2016, in this issue).…”