Gendered Language in Job Advertisements Relates to Gender Sorting in Public Labor Markets: A Multi-Source Analysis

While increasing gender diversity is a desirable goal, contemporary research often overlooks gender sorting in the public labor market. Such structural self-selection among job seekers may considerably weaken efforts to increase diversity. We investigate how job advertisements contribute to gender sorting by examining gendered language and the gender of the contact person. We theorize two mechanisms and test them using a unique multi-source dataset consisting of real job advertisements, a survey among recruiters issuing these job advertisements, and organization-level data (n = 1,859). Results from hierarchical linear models indicate that more feminine wording relates to a higher number and share of applications by women. Our research contributes to public administration research, theorizing why, structurally, women may apply less for some public sector jobs. We derive implications for research and policymakers and emphasize the relevance of gender sorting mechanisms in public sector recruiting.