Gender Bias in Job Descriptions

Request a Demo

Boost Applications 29% by Removing Male- and Female-Coded Words

Men and women respond differently based on the words you use. Ongig scores your jobs in real-time based on gender-coded words. We flag masculine/feminine words and give you "gender-neutral" terms to easily swap in.1

Removing M/F-coded Words Lowers Your Cost per Application up to 41%2

  • Job ads without male- and female-coded words get a 41% lower Cost per Application (CPA) versus ads with both male- and female-coded words.
  • For predominantly male job functions (jobs with 60%+ male workers), gender-neutral language receives 145% more applications per job at a 16% lower cost per application.
  • Job ads with both female- and male-coded words increases CPA by 70%.
  • Male-coded words increase CPA by 47%.
  • Female-coded words increases CPA by 26%.

Did you know that men and women apply to your jobs differently based on how you write the sections of your job posting?

  • Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.3
  • Flex work/remote work is 20.9% more important to women than men.4
  • Women are 6.8% more interested in Salary/Compensation than men.

If You Want to Hire More Women, Also Keep These Facts in Mind5

  • 45% of women deem "gender equality" as "very important" during their job search (versus only 31% of men).
  • 41% of women consider "racial equality" "very important to their job search (versus only 33% of men).
  • PTO/vacation policy is 14.7% more important to women than men.

Free Resources on How to Eliminate Gender Bias

1,2Appcast White Paper on The Impact of Gendered Wording on Candidate Attraction (473,742 jobs advertised from Aug. 1, 2020 to Aug. 31, 2020)

3Harvard Business Review (HP Study, 2014)

4,5How 2020 Changed the Job Search Landscape (1,000 person study)

Request a Demo