Adjust job titles and descriptions - Tool 6
After evaluating jobs, it is important to ensure that the results are reflected in how roles are described. Job titles and descriptions influence how work is valued and perceived inside and outside the organisation. If they are inaccurate, outdated or gender-biased, they can undermine the fairness of the job evaluation and classification and reinforce stereotypes.
Tool 6 helps you review existing job titles and descriptions and rewrite them where necessary so that they are clear, consistent and free from gender bias. This ensures that all job roles are presented equally and that undervalued work, especially in women-dominated roles, is recognised.
The goal is to ensure that outcomes of the job evaluation and classification are properly embedded in job documentation, so that fairness is sustained over time.
This tool has two steps.
- Review existing job titles and descriptions. Check for gender-biased or inaccurate wording.
- Standardise and rewrite. Use consistent language free from gender biases.
Step 1. Review existing job titles and descriptions
- Look for feminine-coded or masculine-coded job titles (e.g. ‘foreman’, ‘waitress’).
- Check for gender-biased adjectives or stereotypes about traits/tasks.
- Identify overemphasis on physical effort compared with mental effort or emotional skills.
- Watch for categories or groupings that undervalue women-dominated jobs.
- Look for vague or subjective wording (e.g. ‘flexible attitude’, ‘good personality’).
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming existing job descriptions are already gender-neutral.
Check for gender bias
Use the checklist below to review your organisation’s current job titles and descriptions for gender-biased language or assumptions. Tick each box where you find gender bias present.
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Does the job title imply that a particular gender is expected for the job (e.g. ‘female caregiver’, ‘policeman’, ‘salesman’, ‘waitress’)?
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Does the text imply that specific tasks belong to a particular gender (e.g. assuming women handle childcare duties or men handle team supervision)?
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Are there assumptions that certain skills belong to specific genders (e.g. expecting men to be ‘decisive’ or women to be ‘supportive’)?
Does the job description emphasise qualities stereotypically associated with a particular gender (e.g. ‘muscle behind operation’ or ‘emotional bedrock’)?
Is physical effort or strength overvalued compared with other types of effort, such as mental effort or emotional skills (e.g. emphasising ‘heavy lifting’ while overlooking multitasking demands)?
Are roles commonly associated with women (e.g. caregiving, nursing, teaching) described primarily with personal traits such as ‘compassion’ or ‘gentleness’ instead of professional skills?
Are jobs grouped by gender, with jobs traditionally held by women undervalued compared with jobs traditionally held by men (e.g. comparing administrative or caregiving jobs to technical or managerial jobs without recognising equal skill demands)?
Does the job description hint at a gender-based pay expectation based on the job’s perceived ‘value’ (e.g. lower pay for jobs predominantly held by women, such as caregiving or administrative jobs, despite similar skills and responsibilities)?
After completing the checklist
- Review and rewrite any job titles or descriptions where you found gender bias.
- Share your findings with HR or management to update recruitment materials and job descriptions.
- Aim for job descriptions that reflect skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, not gendered assumptions.
Step 2. Standardise and rewrite
Use the standard job description template with four factors (skills, responsibility, effort, working conditions) as the basis for rewriting job descriptions.
Remove gender-biased terms and describe all types of skills – including technical, organisational and interpersonal skills – clearly and consistently.
- Base job descriptions on the four factors (skills, responsibility, effort, working conditions).
- Remove gender-biased language. You can check for subtle bias using the Gender Decoder tool.
- Frame tasks around required skills and responsibilities, not stereotypes.
- Make sure technical and soft skills are described consistently.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using gendered or informal job titles (e.g. ‘bar girl’, ‘waitress’, ‘salesman)’.
- Using language that reinforces gender stereotypes (e.g. ‘tough’, ‘decisive leader’ or ‘a friendly, attractive receptionist’).
- Describing characteristics instead of specifying job requirements.
- Overlooking emotional or social skills, which are often undervalued or ‘invisible’.