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

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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 traditionally prototypically male 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, Hebl, & Martin, 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, the aims of these studies included (1) to examine if differences exist in the communal and agentic language that men and women use on their resumes, and (2) to determine if language differences result in consequences for applicants. Findings provide a pattern of results that 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 male jobs.