When Words Matter: Communal and Agentic Language on Men and Women’s Resumes

Although significant advancements have been made, gender disparity in the form of unequal pay and underrepresentation of women in leadership positions and STEM fields still exists today. Research has shown that gender stereotypes can act as barriers for women aspiring to prototypically masculine-typed or leadership positions, and the way women are portrayed by others (i.e., in line with gender stereotypes during the hiring process) can result in negative career-related consequences (e.g., Madera et al., 2009). However, we know little about how men and women portray themselves during the hiring process. That is, do men and women describe themselves in line with gender stereotypes? If so, how does this impact career-related outcomes? To address these questions, these studies (1) examine if differences exist in the communal and agentic language that men and women use on their resumes and (2) determine if language differences result in consequences for applicants. Findings suggest that women use more communal language than do men when writing about themselves on their resumes. Furthermore, communal language use can negatively impact perceived leadership ability and hireability for women applying to prototypically masculine-typed jobs.