dkcwd / gender-decoder

gender-decoder

Gender Decoder is a simple tool that checks the text of job ads to see if it includes any subtly gender-coded language.

By 'subtly gender-coded language' I mean language that reflects stereotypes about men and women, like women being more nurturing and men more aggressive. A 2011 research paper showed that subtly masculine-coded language in ads can put women off applying for jobs.

To be clear: I don't believe that the concepts with masculine-coded words are the exclusive preserve of men. I know that people of all genders can be innovative, reckless, self-reliant and/or unreasonable. But the stereotype our society has created of men says that they are much more likely to have these qualities. The same thing goes for women. Unfortunately, people with non-binary genders were not included in the original research.

For more info, or to use the tool: http://gender-decoder.katmatfield.com

The analysis bit of this tool has been made into a Python package, by Richard Pope: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/genderdecoder/0.3

If you're interested in Gender Decoder, you may also like Karen Schoellkopf's https://www.hiremorewomenintech.com/