Publication
Words matter
Using data from online job posting and about career progression in six Anglophone countries, this study finds evidence that masculine-coded language correlates negatively with female employment and with career progression.
The glass ceiling that emerges looks big and thick: managerial position ads feature greater levels of masculine-coded language than non-managerial ones, especially in male dominated fields like STEMS. And even in industries where women outnumber men, women appear less likely to reach top positions.
Finally, benefits do appear to matter and foster greater women鈥檚 employment, especially childcare.
In a world where gender inequalities persist, addressing the harmful use of gendered language in the labour market is a cost effective, easy fix, but one that can bring important changes and payoffs to our societies and economies
