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Having a discussion about gendered language often brings up a mixed reaction, especially when we’re talking about gendered language in recruiting. Some brush it off instantly as if it doesn’t really matter. Yet, the nuance of gender is obvious in everyday life, from the store shelves to the marketing of clothing. Everything is gendered – but it’s especially obvious in the way things are advertised. Even jobs.
Take body wash, for example. Masculine-coded body washes use names that reference strength and adventure. Examples include names like “Burning Phoenix,” “Sport Blast,” or “Invigorating Rush.” These names are then paired with bottling that features dark colors, sharp angles in design, and imagery of nature, such as mountains, ice, or roaring waves. Feminine-coded body washes, on the other hand, use names that suggest softness, beauty, and nurturing. Some types of these examples include “Silk Blossom,” “Lavender & Honey,” or “Sheer Radiance.” The packaging also looks completely different with colors like pastel tones, bottles that have flowing shapes, and imagery of flowers or fruit.
The craziest part? Most have the exact same ingredients with a different scent. Down to the subtle nuances of bottle shape, this is just one of many instances in our lives where gender influences how we experience the world.
How Everyday Gendered Language Shapes Our Perceptions
These naming conventions and even bottling choices perpetuate traditional gendered language and thus gender roles. Their masculine and feminine-coded names tap into culturally ingrained ideas of gender. This is nothing new. Even thousands of years ago, language classifications were based on the appropriateness of certain words’ genders to their meanings or roles.
This distinction of masculine and feminine-coded language goes all the way back to 5th century Greece. Even back then, philosophers proposed changing the gender of specific Greek nouns to better match attributes associated with their referents, reflecting some of the earliest attempts to link grammatical gender with societal perceptions of what they saw as masculinity and femininity.
Today, many of these language classifications still exist. Some masculine-coded terms include words like “assertive,” “competitive,” and “dominant,” while feminine-coded words are softer, such as “collaborative,” “nurturing,” and “supportive.” You can read the 10 most used gender-coded words across many industries according to Ongig’s Text Analyzer here.
Historical Roots of Gendered Language and Its Modern Impact
What’s more critical is not just understanding these associations, but also acknowledging the influence this coded language has on people. In the 1970s, Erving Goffman and Dell Hymes conducted some of the earliest research on gendered language that many still reference today. The two had similar goals. They were focused on industries that were growing, like tech. Each wanted to know whether subtle cues in language could reinforce stereotypes associated with gender many years before or limit opportunities for women and marginalized groups.
Studying job descriptions and workplace communications specifically, these experiments confirmed that hypothesis. Gendered language was standing between women and marginalized groups and their ability to get hired. For example, terms like “chairman” and “fireman” were found to reduce the likelihood that women would apply for or even envision themselves in that role.
This research became the basis for more hypotheses that language could subtly privilege certain groups while marginalizing others. Another study conducted by Gaucher, Friesen, and Kay in 2011 analyzed 1,000 job posts and found that postings with a higher density of masculine-coded language tended to discourage women from applying, even if they were qualified.
Researchers He and Kang later found that removing gendered wording increased female applicants by 4% and a broader range of male candidates, suggesting that gender-neutral language appeals across the spectrum of gender identities and expressions.
Research from Ongig in September 2022 reviewed 60,000 job descriptions from various industries for inclusivity and predicted application rates. This study saw total applications up 13% and applications from women up over 20%.
New Research: Does Gendered Language Still Matter in Recruiting?
However, new research suggests gendered language may not be as influential today as it once was. A more recent study published in Management Science by Emilio J. Castilla of MIT and Hye Jin Rho of Michigan State University, found that the language of job postings has minimal effect on whether men or women apply. While women showed a slight preference for jobs with more feminine wording, the overall differences were negligible when the language was masculine, feminine, or neutral.
The study reinforces that overcoming stereotypes and gender norms at work will take more than “degendering” language in your job postings. Changing some vocabulary isn’t going to help organizations with big goals for gender diversity be more successful in recruiting more women, and especially not going to make them stay. It takes more work, including systemic policy changes and targeted outreach, to diversify a talent pipeline.
What can teams, especially in male-dominated industries, do in their job postings to stand out as one of the organizations who want to diversify their teams? How can they avoid creating a negative impact on the people they’re trying to attract? It’s not as simple in recruiting as it might be to just change the packaging and scent of a body wash to something more “rugged.”
Beyond Words: Strategies for Writing Inclusive Job Postings
Rewriting your job posts will help you get a more diverse pipeline, but as this new research shows, it’ll take more than just swapping out gendered keywords. Try these tactics instead:
- Fewer bullet points. Long lists of requirements, particularly in bullet point formats, have been found to discourage women from applying to jobs, as they often perceive these as rigid or exclusionary. Aim for 7 or fewer bullets in your job postings.
- Lower word counts. Wordy postings with too many details or not enough of them can deter candidates from applying, especially people from diverse backgrounds who may not exactly meet every listed requirement but are still qualified.
- Remove preferred requirements. If it’s just a preference, leave it out of the mandatory requirements. Not all applicants understand what level of importance preferred requirements have, and research shows that women and people from diverse backgrounds will opt out even if they meet minimum requirements because they misunderstood the preferred lists.
- Avoid non-inclusive language. Non-inclusive language includes words that negatively reflect on religion, class, sexual orientation, and more. They often perpetuate subtle forms of discrimination, known as microaggressions. Learn more about how to avoid them and alternatives here.
Note: Ongig’s Text Analyzer does more than flag gendered language. It catches bias related to race, age, disability, and more while simplifying wordy, complicated job posts. The result? Clear, inclusive job content that attract more qualified candidates.
Training Teams for More Inclusive Job Descriptions
While we can all agree that more needs to be done to create parity at work beyond swapping out some keywords, being conscious of inclusive language is still a good practice for creating a welcoming tone. Train your team on how to write a job post, understanding what tactics they can adapt to create postings with neutral language that attract a diverse pipeline of applicants.
Training will also help to ensure your team is posting shorter, clearer descriptions that actually help applicants understand if they are qualified for the job. When that is made clear in the posting, it saves time for both the recruiter and applicant, allowing recruiting teams to improve the candidate experience by offering more hands-on support for qualified applicants as they make their way through the hiring process.
Why I Wrote This:
Simplifying word choices, removing gender-coded language, and focusing on inclusive language are just a few of the research supported strategies you can take as we move one small step toward a future we all want to work in. Small yet deliberate changes like these signal inclusion from the outset of the candidate experience and can contribute to building a workforce that reflects more diverse perspectives.
Ongig’s Text Analyzer makes these changes easier. It flags biased and non-inclusive language, suggests ways to simplify job posts (like reducing bullet points and word counts, and makes them more consistent going forward with custom AI templating. This ensures your job postings resonate with a wider audience. Request a demo to see how it works.
