Inclusive Language Checker

The words in a job advert shape who applies. Research has found that adverts heavy with words like “competitive”, “dominant” and “assertive” appeal less to many women, and that phrases such as “digital native” or “rockstar” quietly signal who is expected to fit. This checker highlights such wording, shows the gender-coding balance and suggests neutral alternatives, so you can write adverts and policies that welcome every qualified reader.

Gender-coded words

In 2011, psychologists Danielle Gaucher, Justin Friesen and Aaron Kay published lists of words associated with masculine and feminine stereotypes and showed their effect in job adverts. Masculine-coded words include active, ambitious, analytical, competitive, confident, decisive, independent and lead; feminine-coded words include collaborative, committed, compassionate, supportive, understanding and warm. The lists match word beginnings, so “compet-” covers compete, competitive and competition. Both counts are shown, with a note on which way the advert leans.

What balance means

Coded words are not wrong — a sales role may genuinely be competitive. The research points to balance: an advert that only uses one kind of language tells readers who the company imagines in the role. If the notice says the wording leans one way, describe other genuine parts of the job, such as teamwork, mentoring or customer care, or replace a stereotyped word with a concrete description of the task.

Gendered terms

Job titles and pronouns that assume a gender are flagged with neutral alternatives: chairman → chair, salesman → salesperson, manpower → workforce, he or she → they, guys → everyone. Hover a highlight to see the suggestion.

Age, ability and culture

Phrases such as “young and dynamic team”, “digital native” or “recent graduate” can signal an age preference and, in many countries, raise legal concerns. “Must be able to lift” or “able-bodied” may exclude disabled candidates when the task could be done another way; describe the task and whether adjustments are possible. Jargon like “rockstar”, “ninja”, “work hard, play hard” or “culture fit” puts off people who do not see themselves in it.

Limits of word lists

Matching word beginnings catches false positives: “respon-” counts responsible as feminine-coded, and “lead-” counts lead (the metal). A list cannot judge intent or context, and it is not a legal review. Treat the results as a checklist for a human editor.

A worked example

The sample advert — “We are looking for a rockstar salesman to join our young and dynamic team… a competitive, assertive self-starter who will dominate the market” — shows several masculine-coded words, a gendered title, an age-related phrase and exclusionary jargon. A revision such as “We’re looking for a salesperson to join our team. You’ll build lasting client relationships, set ambitious targets with your manager and share what you learn with colleagues” keeps the drive of the role while balancing the language.

A practical review routine

Read the advert once as a whole, then check the coded-word balance, then work through the highlights from gendered terms to jargon. Ask colleagues who differ from the current team to read it too. Finally, check requirements: listing only the essential qualifications widens the pool more than any change of wording.

Related tools

Remove clichés and buzzwords with the Cliché Finder, cut vague claims with the Hedging Word Checker, check difficulty with the Readability Checker, or count words for an advert limit with the Word Counter.