This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.There has been an argument for cutting or tweaking stereotypical masculine or feminine adjectives in job ads.
But a new study finds little evidence to support it.More feminine wording had a “negligible effect” on whether women or men inquired about a job, says a researcher.Companies seeking to attract a gender-diverse group of applicants are sometimes advised to choose the words they use in job postings carefully. Using stereotypically masculine or feminine adjectives to describe the qualities needed for a position can affect who applies.