Effects of Gender Sensitive Language in Job Listings: a Study on Real-Life User Interaction

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The possible impact of gender-sensitive language on readers is among the most controversially debated issues in linguistics and beyond. Previous studies have suggested that there is an effect of gender-sensitive language on mental representations, based on data gathered in laboratory settings with small groups of participants. We add a new perspective by examining correlations of authentic language use with authentic user interaction on a recruitment website. Drawing upon a large dataset provided by the recruitment platform StepStone, we evaluate whether job advertisements using certain kinds of gender-sensitive language in their titles correlate with higher proportions of views by female users. Our results indicate that there are differing effects depending on the type of gender-sensitive language that is used. Overall, the strongest correlation can be found with terms that include the feminine suffix -in.

Details

Original languageGerman
Article numbere0308072
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume19
Issue number8
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • Gendergerechte Sprache