The Effect of Nonbinary Pronouns on Job Candidate Evaluations

The increasing visibility of pronouns in professional settings raises questions about their influence on workplace outcomes, one of which is candidate evaluations in hiring. This study investigates how including pronouns on CVs affects evaluations of job candidates, focusing on competence, likeability, and suitability. In two preregistered, between-subject experiments ( N total = 408), we tested whether nonbinary pronouns (they/them) impact these evaluations differently compared with binary pronouns (he/him) or the absence of pronouns. Participants reviewed a job description and evaluated CVs with manipulated pronouns. Results showed a significant negative effect of nonbinary pronouns on candidate evaluations (Study 2), particularly among individuals with higher levels of prejudice (both studies). These findings highlight the challenges of gender identity expression in job applications and underscore the need to address biases in hiring practices to promote workplace equality.