Evidence that gendered wording in job advertisements exists and sustains gender inequality.

Abstract

Social dominance theory (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) contends that institutional-level mechanisms exist that reinforce and perpetuate existing group-based inequalities, but very few such mechanisms have been empirically demonstrated. We propose that gendered wording (i.e., masculine- and feminine-themed words, such as those associated with gender stereotypes) may be a heretofore unacknowledged, institutional-level mechanism of inequality maintenance. Employing both archival and experimental analyses, the present research demonstrates that gendered wording commonly employed in job recruitment materials can maintain gender inequality in traditionally male-dominated occupations. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated the existence of subtle but systematic wording differences within a randomly sampled set of job advertisements. Results indicated that job advertisements for male-dominated areas employed greater masculine wording (i.e., words associated with male stereotypes, such as leader, competitive, dominant) than advertisements within female-dominated areas. No difference in the presence of feminine wording (i.e., words associated with female stereotypes, such as support, understand, interpersonal) emerged across male- and female-dominated areas. Next, the consequences of highly masculine wording were tested across 3 experimental studies. When job advertisements were constructed to include more masculine than feminine wording, participants perceived more men within these occupations (Study 3), and importantly, women found these jobs less appealing (Studies 4 and 5). Results confirmed that perceptions of belongingness (but not perceived skills) mediated the effect of gendered wording on job appeal (Study 5). The function of gendered wording in maintaining traditional gender divisions, implications for gender parity, and theoretical models of inequality are discussed.

Gender contributes to personal research funding success in The Netherlands

“…For example, masculine-gendered words included "challenging," "independent," and "adventurous," whereas feminine-gendered words included "responsible," "organized," and "thorough." In the instances where gendered wording occurred (0.66% of the total number of words, which is similar to the previously documented occurrence of gendered wording in job advertisements) (29), 86.2% were masculine-gendered and 13.8% were feminine-gendered [t(85) = 7.55, P < 0.001, d = 1.64]. The difference was most pronounced in written communications directed at committee members, but also was observed in the written communications aimed at external reviewers and applicants [masculine-gendered wording: 91.8% vs. 85.9% vs. 76.2%; F(2, 83) = 5.38, P = 0.006, η p 2 = 0.115] (Fig.…”

“…We then coded the written communications for gendered wording. This implies that words that were used in these communications have been identified in research as referring to gender stereotypes (29,31). For example, masculine-gendered words included "challenging," "independent," and "adventurous," whereas feminine-gendered words included "responsible," "organized," and "thorough."…”

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“…There are a wide variety of reasons for this which include unconscious bias, workforce culture and use of language in job adverts which can put women off applying for jobs and promotion etc. [22] [23].…”

Preferred Job Competencies of Engineering Leaders in DoD

“…The data in job advertisements might not accurately represent the specific competencies needed for the job, but rather a fishing expedition listing almost every common skill (Surakka, 2005). The usage of gendered wording in job advertisements from analyze markets (masculine) to understanding markets (less masculine) could alter competency identification (Gaucher, Friesen, & Kay, 2011). The development of job advertisements may be performed by human resource professionals using generalized language or a standard set of verbiage from a competency model.…”