Do you have trouble recruiting women? Then you might want to read through your job ads once more before you post them. Chances are that they exclude women. Not because you want to exclude them, but because of something we call gender bias. The words used in job ads can have a masculine tone of voice. These job ads are appealing to men, but not to women. Female applicants will feel discouraged from applying. The result: fewer women will apply. That’s the very opposite of what you want if you wish to become a more diverse and inclusive company.
Too many masculine words
Gender bias can present itself in several ways. One of them is the use of a more masculine tone of voice. Job ads with a more masculine tone of voice often contain a lot of masculine words. Examples of this are analyze, support, collaborate and determined. Job ads with these strong masculine words receive fewer applications from women. In fact, the percentage of female applicants drops by 10%. Of all the applications companies receive, only 44% will be from women when the tone of voice is masculine.
Solve gender bias – use more female-coded or neutral language
To receive more applications from women, you need to use more female-coded or neutral language. And, of course, avoid using masculine words. Words to use in job ads are share, responsibility and together. If you succeed in this, the number of female applicants increases by 10% to 54%. And there’s more. When more women apply, it becomes more likely that a woman will get the job. The same goes for more men applying. This shows how important the language used in jobs ads is when it comes to diversity and inclusion. You need to avoid gender bias in job ads if you wish to become a more diverse and inclusive company.
How to avoid gender bias in job ads
Do you want to receive more applications from women? Then you’re in need of the Textmetrics platform. You can use our platform to avoid gender bias in jobs ads. It uses algorithms based on artificial intelligence. You can use it to write job descriptions with a gender-neutral tone of voice. These will appeal to both men and women. Women won’t feel excluded any longer. And the number of female hires will go up. It’s an important step toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive company.
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