Check for gender bias

Use the checklist to review your organisation’s current job titles and descriptions for gender-biased language or assumptions. Tick each box where you find gender bias.

  • Does the job title imply that a particular gender is expected for the job (e.g. ‘female caregiver’, ‘policeman’, ‘salesman’, ‘waitress’)?

  • Does the text imply that specific tasks belong to a particular gender (e.g. assuming women handle childcare duties or men handle team supervision)? 

  • 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 job 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 with 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. You can check your text for subtle bias using the Gender Decoder tool.
  • Aim for job descriptions that reflect skills, effort, responsibility and working conditions, not gendered assumptions.