UK senior executive searches show bias against women

Companies searching for senior executives show greater signs of bias against women than in searches for junior roles, according to a study of almost 100,000 job adverts in the UK over the past six months.

Senior roles are being consistently advertised using less inclusive language than junior roles, said the study by consultancy firm Sia Partners, which used data analytics to study the presentation of job adverts across 11 sectors from 2,900 companies.

Concerns around deep rooted unconscious bias among senior leaders have risen again in the past week after former chair of KPMG UK Bill Michael told staff in a virtual meeting that discrimination caused by unconscious bias was “complete and utter crap”.

The study by Sia found that businesses appear to be taking steps to use more inclusive language in job adverts for junior positions.

But most senior roles were advertised using more ‘masculine-coded’ language, it found, a particular problem given the lack of gender diversity on many boards and senior executive teams in the UK. This was consistent across all sectors, with the exception of real estate, it said.

Sia examined “gender coded” language used in job adverts, which it said can influence the profile of candidates who apply for them. If job ads contain mainly masculine words they are less appealing to female applicants. When using mainly feminine words, job ads are evenly appealing to female and male applicants, it said, which can lead to a more inclusive workforce.

An example would be comparing job ads seeking candidates that are “results driven” rather than “able to achieve results”.

Senior roles in many industries continue to be associated with masculine stereotypes, according to Irene Molodtsov, chief executive of Sia Partners UK.

She pointed to a combination of factors, including women being more likely to take time out to look after families, and the executives who choose the parameters and definitions for senior positions often being male. 

“We know women are struggling to reach higher ranks. Business leaders need to work on bias — conscious or unconscious — in these senior roles,” she said.

The bias in job ads for senior roles in this regard is particularly problematic given many women may be looking to return from career breaks for new roles, according to Molodtsov.

“Women are falling out of careers between the ages of 33 and 40,” she said. “We need to put structural changes in place to encourage gender parity in business and to enable women to continue to climb the ladder to those senior positions or to get a seat in the boardroom.”

Some companies have introduced “blind” selection of candidates to improve their diversity, although job ads precede that process so can act as an early barrier.

Molodtsov said that men are more likely to apply for a job for which they are unqualified, while women tend to be more reticent in applying unless they are confident that they would be suitable for the job.

In June 2020, the World Economic Forum highlighted the use of gendered language in job ads as a contributor to gender inequality in the workplace.