Gendered language in job ads

[firecat]

http://www.futurity.org/top-stories/wanted-gender-free-job-ads/

The photo caption says: "Recent graduates browsing job announcements may not be conscious of it, but employment ads can signal whether a job is typically held by men or women."

I wonder why they assume people are unconscious of gendered language in job ads? I'm VERY conscious of it.

A commenter speaks for me: 'This is partly why I shy away from job descriptions seeking “rockstars,” “ninjas,” or “gurus.”'

Comments

[adrian_turtle]

I wonder if they mean the people writing the ads are unconscious of the gendered wording? (That is, for ads written by hiring managers or recruiters or HR people, rather than as a sociology experiment.) I don't mean to suggest that unconscious bias is any more acceptable, or any less harmful, than deliberate attempts to discriminate...but they can be different problems, with somewhat different causes and solutions.

[firecat]

I think many job-ad-writers are unconscious of using gendered wording, yeah.