Companies with gender diversity outperform companies that aren’t by 15%. So, if you want a gender-diverse workforce (and the benefits that come with it), a great first step is creating gender neutral job descriptions.
The benefits of gender diversity extend far beyond the financial advantages. Did you know that a mix of different perspectives often leads to more creative and innovative solutions? By making job descriptions that are fair and inclusive, you’re not just encouraging diversity in your hiring pipeline, but also inviting a variety of ideas and talents. This can make your team more dynamic and better equipped to tackle challenges.
Let’s explore how you can craft job listings that attract a diverse range of candidates and enhance the overall creativity of your workplace!
So, here are 9 tools (with paid and free options) to help you create more gender neutral job descriptions:
1. Ongig Text Analyzer
Ongig’s gender neutral job descriptions tool scans your JDs for gender bias, flags male and female-coded words, and suggests more inclusive alternatives.
With just a few clicks, you can easily create more balanced and gender neutral job descriptions which are proven to perform better and cost you less per application.
Ongig also scans your JDs for:
- extra-long sentences
- complex words
- internal or industry jargon
- missing sections candidates care about
- other potential biases (e.g., race, age, disability, mental health, sexual orientation, etc.)
- & more
Enterprise pricing starts at $17,900 per year. Request a demo to learn more.
2. Totaljobs Gender Bias Decoder
Totaljobs Gender Bias Decoder is another gender neutral job description tool to try.
This tool identifies female coded words by highlighting them in blue and the male coded words by highlighting them in red, so they’re easy to locate. The downside to this tool is that it doesn’t give you alternative replacement words.
Totaljobs Gender Bias Decoder is free to use. So, all you need to do is copy and paste your JD text into it to check for gender bias.
3. UInclude
UInclude checks content for gender (and racial) bias so you can create more gender neutral job descriptions.
It also helps with your tone, ensures your JDs are not too “formal,” and gives suggestions so your style feels more approachable.
It’s free to try for 7 days with a business email, then you can choose to subscribe starting at $25 per person a month.
4. Applied
Applied’s Job Description Tool is another software you can use to create a more gender neutral job description. It analyzes your JDs for biased, gender-sensitive words and gives you more inclusive replacement words.
This tool also scans your JDs for educational and racial bias. Plus, it grades them based on readability using the Flesch reading scale. This is a useful assessment for SEO purposes. It’s also important that your job descriptions are written in a way that is accessible for anyone, not only those with industry experience or a college education.
Applied offers a 7-day free trial, or you can book a demo request pricing.
5. Gender Decoder
Gender Decoder is another tool for creating gender neutral job descriptions. All you have to do is copy and paste the contents of your JDs into the box. Then, it populates a list of masculine and feminine-coded words.
I ran a JD for a Google software engineer, and I got these results:
This advert is neutral.
This job ad uses an equal number of words that are subtly coded as masculine and feminine (according to the research). It probably won’t be off-putting to men or women applicants.
Of course, there are plenty of other factors that affect the diversity of applicants for this role and the people who end up being hired. These include the company’s reputation for inclusiveness, its culture, and the behavior and prejudices (both conscious and unconscious) of the interviewers.
Masculine-coded words in this ad
- leadership
- lead
- decide
- analyzing
Feminine-coded words in this ad
- connect
- enthusiastic
- trusted
- responsibilities
Gender Decoder is easy to use, and it’s free! And you can also share the results. The downside is it doesn’t tell you where the terms are in your JD, so you’ll have to look for them manually. Also, it doesn’t give you more inclusive alternatives.
6. Clovers
Clovers AI is an HR tech company devoted to making tools that promote inclusive hiring. Their portfolio of hiring tools includes one-way video interviews and redacted resume review tools, as well as their job description writing tool, which we are featuring here today. Clovers’ gender-neutral job description tool reviews the text of your job descriptions for bias including sexism, racism, and ableism.
They’ve worked with Dr. Aaron C. Kay, a neuroscientist and researcher at Duke University, to understand the causes and results of bias in everyday situations such as hiring. This research helps them tailor their software to prevent bias and discrimination in hiring, and it sets them apart in the field of AI-powered hiring tools. You can schedule a demo or request a free job description template from their website.
7. Textio
Textio’s gender neutral job descriptions tool, Textio Loop, can help you create more effective job listings to attract candidates. Textio Loop can generate unbiased, accurate job description templates on demand, based on only a few details about your open position. If you’d rather evaluate existing job descriptions or write your own JD’s, the Loop tool can scan your job descriptions for biased language, including gender bias. It also grades every job description on neutrality and potential bias, so you can make effective decisions with your hiring strategy.
Unlike many other job description tools, Textio includes generational insights that help you avoid age-related discrimination and appeal to candidates of many different ages. We like that it’s also compatible with many applicant tracking systems (ATSs), so you don’t have to alter your usual workflow to use Textio.
8. Optimal
Optimal is an HR tech company that creates smart hiring technology to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B). Their gender-neutral hiring tool looks for evidence of bias in the language of job descriptions (including sexism, racism, xenophobia, and homophobia). Optimal automates the review process to remove discriminatory or biased words and phrases from your job descriptions. According to their website, their clients see 20% better job listing performance, which reduces time and labor for your hiring team.
9. Datapeople
Datapeople creates technology to aid companies in compliance and diverse hiring initiatives. By optimizing job postings and candidate communication, they help companies cut recruiting costs and hire a more diverse array of candidates. Their gender-neutral job description tool helps you create smarter job titles, remove biased language, and naturally grow your applicant pool.
We like that Datapeople’s job description editor highlights not only sexist language, but also instances of racism, ageism, ableism, and other forms of prejudice. With better language choices, their clients bring in up to four times as many applicants for their job descriptions. Their editor tool also includes collaborative options, so team members can work together to create the best possible job description.
Why I wrote this:
Gender-neutral job descriptions are so important! They show that your organization prioritizes gender equality, which is important for many applicants. They also increase the number of applicants and help you naturally support a diverse talent pipeline. Ongig’s mission is to create effective and inclusive job descriptions. Our software helps you make more gender neutral job descriptions to attract more diverse talent. Request a demo to learn more.
Shout-outs:
- 10 Ways to Remove Gender Bias from Job Descriptions (Glassdoor Team)
- Why Diversity Matters (Vivian Hunt, Dennis Layton, and Sara Prince)
