Eliminating gender bias in tech recruitment
Research shows that gendered language influences the roles we apply for. Discover how Totaljobs’ Gender Bias Decoder can eliminate bias from job adverts and generate more applications.
According to Tech Nation’s Jobs and Skills Report 2021, nearly three million people are employed in the UK tech sector. However, only 26% of those are women. Despite reports that gender diverse companies financially outperform their peers by 25%, a lack of inclusion remains a serious issue in tech.
According to research from our sister site, Totaljobs, the IT and Internet sector is one of the top 10 most male-biased industries in its use of language in job adverts. Let’s take a closer look at the importance of gender equality in tech and how Totaljobs’ Gender Bias Decoder can be used to create a more inclusive workforce:
The importance of gender equality in the tech sector
Not only does female misrepresentation negatively impact the opportunities and wellbeing of individuals, it also has a detrimental impact on the entire tech sector.
The industry’s skills gap has been well-documented in recent years, and TechNation reports that tech job opportunities have now hit a 10-year high.
Having more women in tech means being able to close the skills gap quicker. It also means being able to close the industry’s pay gap faster, as the tech sector’s gender pay gap is still 16% higher than the national average of 11.6%.
The impact of gendered words in recruitment
Research shows that certain words are associated with masculine or feminine stereotypes, and can unconsciously influence the roles we apply for. For example, women are less likely to apply for roles that use male-coded words as they feel they don’t fit the description.
However, the same isn’t necessarily true for female-coded words. Men aren’t less likely to apply for jobs that use language associated with female stereotypes. This is why, in order to achieve greater workplace equality, the focus needs to be on addressing male bias.
Male-coded words vs female-coded words
When we think of a typical tech job advert, we’re accustomed to seeing words like ‘independently’, ‘driven’, and ‘leader’. However, these words are typically associated with male stereotypes. In fact, the phrase ‘working independently’ is found in 13% of job ads across all sectors.
The same research from Totaljobs reveals that the top male-biased words in job adverts are:
- Individual (14%)
- Challenging (13%)
- Independent (11%)
- Analyse (10%)
- Confident (9%)
And the top female-biased words are:
- Understanding (21%)
- Committed (18%)
- Trust (10%)
- Dependent (9%)
- Child (8%)
Eliminating gender bias in job adverts
Totaljobs’ Gender Bias Decoder is a tool that reveals gender-specific words in text and offers less biased alternatives. The free tool can be used to write gender neutral job adverts and even to target specific genders if there is a need to add gender balance to a team.
The tool works by simply copying and pasting a job advert into the text box and then gaining instant insights into how gender-coded the text is. The results provide a clear indication of whether the text uses more male-coded words, female-coded words, or whether it’s balanced.
A percentage score shows the average amount of bias and reveals the words that are gender-coded. The tool also suggests gender-neutral alternatives for male-coded words. Alternatives aren’t suggested for female-coded words, as the research shows that they don’t have the same negative impact on job applicants.
By replacing male-biased language with neutral, or female-coded suggestions, job adverts appeal to more people, generate more applications and make the tech sector more inclusive.
Try Totaljobs’ Gender Bias Decoder for free.