Are your job descriptions inclusive and gender-neutral — or are you inadvertently putting off candidates with the language you use?
Here’s a newsflash: not only is gender-bias in job ads limiting your hiring options and leading to worse diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) outcomes for your organisation, it could soon be against the law. Ensuring job listings are gender neutral is part of the requirements of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, a new piece of EU legislation which will be in effect across member states by June 2026 at the latest.
And this isn’t a niche issue: research from the UK has found that over 90% of job ads contain gender-biased language, despite 56% of employees believing their company has a gender-neutral approach to staffing. In this article, we’ll explore what gender bias in job ads looks like in practice — and why employers should care about it. We’ll also walk through the steps employers in Europe can take to prepare for the new rules and ensure compliance once 2026 rolls around.
What is gender bias in job ads? (And why it matters)
Gender bias is the systematic and often unconscious preference for one gender over another. When it comes to job descriptions, gender bias manifests itself in both the words you use and the information you choose to include.
It’s not just about eliminating obviously gendered words like ‘salesman’ or ‘waitress’ — though that’s an important first step. It’s also about the inherent assumptions behind certain words. For example, research has consistently shown that words like ‘dominant’, ‘competitive’, ‘leader’ and ‘ambitious’ are generally perceived as more masculine-coded. Meanwhile, words like ‘supportive’, ‘collaborative’ and ‘nurturing’ read as more feminine.
Using words like these can discourage candidates of a particular gender from applying for a role. That’s because they send a subtle message about who you’re really looking for — even if you’re not actively favouring candidates of one gender over another. And this can become a self-perpetuating problem: the more homogenous your teams become, the more they'll write job ads that subtly favour candidates who are more like them.
For instance, tools like Gender Decoder or Textio can analyse job ads and flag masculine- or feminine-coded language, helping recruiters make more balanced word choices. Addressing bias in this way doesn’t just create fairer job ads — it directly widens your talent pool, improves hiring outcomes, and fosters more diverse, innovative teams.
5 reasons to ensure your job descriptions are gender-neutral
If you’ve been using the same templates for job descriptions for years, do you really need to update them? Short answer: yes — here are five reasons to optimise your job descriptions for inclusivity in 2025:
- Legal compliance: The first reason is an obvious one: the EU Pay Transparency Directive requires it. While enforcement mechanisms will vary by country, the directive is very clear that job descriptions must be gender-neutral and that recruitment processes must be inclusive and free from bias.
- Better job descriptions: Adjusting your job ads for greater inclusivity generally means cutting out a lot of extraneous fluff and really honing down the requirements for the role. This can have a happy side effect: it makes them clearer and easier to understand.
- More diverse applicant pool: Removing subtly biased language can help you attract candidates of all genders for all roles — giving you a better chance of finding the right person for the job. Plus, many employers find that optimising job ads helps attract more diverse applicants generally.
- Greater pay equity: Traditionally male-dominated roles tend to pay more than those that are usually occupied by women. If your job ads are reinforcing gender stereotypes, they could be contributing to your gender pay gap. Increasing representation of women in higher-paid roles can help you correct this — and that all starts with your job descriptions.
- Improved inclusion and belonging: A job ad containing masculine-coded language might not put off all female applicants. But it won’t make women feel welcome within your organisation either. Using inclusive, gender-neutral language helps foster a sense of belonging from day one — especially if you explicitly highlight your commitment to DEI.
How to build more inclusive job descriptions (in 6 steps)
Ready to get started? Below, we’ve shared a step-by-step process to help you optimise your job descriptions for inclusivity. Following these tips will help you ensure your job listings aren’t inadvertently putting off candidates, giving you access to deeper talent pools and improving diversity in your pipeline.
Step #1: Remove obviously gendered wording
The first (and easiest) step is to remove any obvious gendered language from your job descriptions. For example, this might include job titles such as ‘foreman’, ‘waitress’ or ‘salesman’, which should be replaced with gender-neutral alternatives like ‘supervisor’, ‘server’ and ‘salesperson’.
You should also remove any gendered pronouns (i.e. he or she), replacing them with gender-neutral alternatives like ‘they’, ‘them’ or ‘the candidate’. Lastly, go through the job description and look for any other unnecessary gendered language, including references to other team members (e.g. ‘works well with men and women’).
We’ll explore tools and strategies for tackling subtler language in later steps — but starting with these obvious fixes lays the groundwork for more inclusive job ads.
👎 Don’t say…
- ‘The salesman should report any issues to his manager.’
- ‘The waitress will serve her section of the restaurant.’
- ‘The foreman works well with both men and women on site.’
- ‘Each candidate must submit his CV before Friday.’
- ‘The chairman will give his final approval.’
👍 Do say…
- ‘The salesperson should report any issues to their manager.’
- ‘The server will manage their section of the restaurant.’
- ‘The supervisor works well with all team members on site.’
- ‘Each candidate must submit their CV before Friday.’
- ‘The chairperson will give their final approval.’
Step #2: Check for subtler language patterns
Next, eliminate any language that might suggest a certain gender, even if it’s not explicit. As we’ve discussed, stating that you’re looking for someone driven, strong and competitive might imply you’re looking for a male candidate, whereas words like compassionate, caring and responsible read as female.
There are plenty of tools you can use to help you with this process, as we’ll discuss below. However, trying to identify gender-biased language yourself first can be a useful exercise that can help you avoid this sort of language in future listings.
Masculine-coded language is often linked to dominance, independent achievement or competition, and includes words like:
- Ambitious
- Analytical
- Assertive
- Autonomous
- Bold
- Competitive
- Decisive
- Determined
- Driven
- Independent
- Leader
- Objective
- Outspoken
- Results-driven
- Self-reliant
Feminine-coded language is more often linked to collaboration, support, or nurturing. It might include words like:
- Adaptable
- Caring
- Collaborative
- Committed
- Compassionate
- Dependable
- Empathetic
- Enthusiastic
- Interpersonal
- Loyal
- Nurturing
- Responsible
- Supportive
- Trustworthy
- Understanding
Step #3: Reconsider your job requirements
If you’re listing requirements that aren’t really requirements in your job descriptions, you could be putting off otherwise qualified candidates. That’s why the next step is to carefully review your requirements for the role and decide which ones are really necessary.
While it’s OK to include ‘nice-to-have’ extras in your job ads, you should keep the focus on the ‘must-haves’. An added bonus? This will make your job descriptions clearer and more focused — helping both your internal team and external candidates to properly understand what you’re looking for.
Step #4: Highlight flexible work options
Flexible work options like remote work, flexible hours, compressed hours, or job shares aren’t just nice-to-have perks for some employees. They can be an important way of levelling the playing field for women, people with disabilities and employees with care responsibilities.
If your company offers options like these, highlighting them in your job description can help demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity. It shows potential candidates that they’ll be given everything they need to succeed in the role, regardless of their gender or personal circumstances.
Step #5: Run a gender bias analysis
When you think your job description is ready to go, it’s a good idea to run it through a gender bias analysis tool for a final check. This can help you to identify and eliminate any gender-coded language that may have slipped through the net — and serve as a useful learning exercise for next time.
There are a lot of tools available to help you with this, which may be free or paid. For example, Gender Decoder is a free tool that can help you to spot subtly biased language you might otherwise have missed. These days, you can also use AI to check for gender-coded language — just remember that these tools are only as good as the data they’re trained on, and can end up introducing their own biases if you’re not careful.
Step #6: Add a diversity statement
If you want to hear from more diverse candidates, consider spelling this out in your job descriptions. Of course, this won’t help if you haven’t put in any other effort and it looks like you’re just paying lip service to gender diversity and inclusion.
But if diversity and inclusion are a core part of your company values, saying this outright can encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply since they’re more likely to feel their views and perspectives will be appreciated and respected.
This doesn’t have to be super complex — consider adding a simple statement like:
‘We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team where everyone feels welcome and valued. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, experiences and identities to apply, and we strive to create a workplace where different perspectives are celebrated and respected.’
Measure and adapt: 3 KPIs to track inclusivity
Once you’ve published your newly gender-neutral job ads, your work isn’t over — you’ll need to measure progress to see if your approach is working. You can do this by setting up tracking by gender in your applicant tracking system (ATS) to keep an eye on the following key metrics:
- Applications by gender: Are you attracting a balanced pool of candidates?
- Progression rate: Are candidates of different genders advancing through each stage at similar rates?
- Hires by gender: Are your final hires reflecting the diversity you aim for?
By monitoring these KPIs over 6–12 months, you can see whether your adjustments are having the desired effect and identify areas for improvement.
Beyond job ads: your checklist for an inclusive recruitment process
Job descriptions are an important part of the recruitment process. In most cases, they’re a candidate’s first introduction to your company — and you know what they say about first impressions.
But they’re also only one part of the picture. Ultimately, the directive requires every employer to look at each part of their hiring process through an equity lens. Use the below checklist to get started with inclusive recruiting:
- Look at where you’re posting: Certain demographics are overrepresented on some platforms. Ensure your job listings are seen by a wider audience by posting in more than one place.
- Set up diverse hiring panels: Including employees from a range of backgrounds on hiring panels helps give all candidates a fair shot. It can also be encouraging to diverse candidates to see that different voices are respected within your organisation.
- Rethink interview questions: Think carefully about whether the questions you ask in job interviews are really necessary — or if they're putting certain groups at a disadvantage.
- Stop asking about salary history: Asking about previous salaries is a big no-no; it can perpetuate existing gaps and give employers an unfair advantage in negotiations. Plus, thanks to the EU Pay Transparency Directive, it will soon be illegal.
Want more insights? Head to our full guide to find out which recruitment processes you should banish in the name of pay equity.
Learn more
Want to learn more about fairness in the hiring process? Check out these articles from our archive to get started:
