Here is Another Gender Gap You Didn’t Know About
Actions speak louder than adjectives
Recent statistics from the US Government Accountability Office show that only 42% of managers are females, although females represent 48% of the US workforce. Moreover, female managers earn only 71 cents on average for every dollar earned by a male managers. Could the gender gap in management be related to how male and female managers describe their expertise?
A Revelio Labs analysis of millions of online biographies of managers reveals that men and women use very different vocabulary to describe their expertise. Women tend to use more collaborative words, such as "service", "help", and "team", while men use more individualistic words, such as "experience", "leader" and "solutions".
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Our data analytics tools also show that men are more likely to use action verbs that characterize their accomplishments such as: “manage”, “win”, “improve”, and “negotiate”. Meanwhile, women are more likely to use descriptive adjectives and self-praise words, such as: “team-player”, “detail-oriented”, and “hard worker” instead of focusing on their accomplishments.
Women's lack of focus on their accomplishments negates their expertise, and may cap their potential for promotions and salaries. A word of advice from women to fellow women: focus on your tangible accomplishments; actions speak louder than words!
Key Takeaways:
- A Revelio Labs analysis of millions of managers’ biographies reveals gender differences in the way male and female managers describe their expertise.
- Female managers tend to use more collaborative words, while male managers use more individualistic words.
- Men are more likely to use action verbs favored by hiring managers, while women are more likely to use adjectives and self-praise words that are less favored by hiring managers, Revelio Labs data analytics tools show.
