Breaking down stereotypes: Creating a more inclusive recruitment strategy

Feb 21, 2023 11:37:11 AM

From an early age, we're surrounded by stereotypes - whether it's the nurturing mother figure or the ‘draw a scientist’ experiment. These beliefs shape our worldview, often unconsciously.

While we've accepted stereotypes as part of society, they can harm workplace inclusion. By removing them, you not only foster diversity but also improve the quality of hire and team performance.

In this post, Emil Novák-Tót, former Head of Research at Develop Diverse, explains how stereotypes work, their impact on inclusion, and how our AI Smart Editor helps identify and eliminate them.

What are stereotypes, and why do they exist?

A stereotype is a mental shortcut where we assume certain groups behave in specific ways. This happens across gender, age, ethnicity, disability, and neurodiversity.

While stereotypes can seem harmless, they limit opportunities and persist unless challenged. They’re based on generalizations, which don’t reflect the true diversity of individuals within any group. For example, assuming someone on the autism spectrum is only good at spotting patterns overlooks their full skill set and preferences.

Studies show individual variation within any group is larger than between groups. Operating on stereotypes makes it harder to identify the best fit for a job or effectively allocate tasks.

Examples of stereotypes include:

Gender: Men are more likely to be considered as ambitious, or natural leaders. Women are more likely to be associated with descriptors like helpful or compassionate.
Race and ethnicity: In most Western countries, East Asian people are often stereotyped as being good at maths. Black women are stereotyped as being more aggressive and hostile in the workplace. Stereotypes based on race and ethnicity can change depending on the country.
Neurodiversity: People with ADHD are often stereotyped as being hyperactive, loud, and impulsive. People with OCD are seen as being overly clean or tidy.
LGBTQIA+: “In the workplace, LGBTQIA+ people are often stereotyped as more living salient lives, meaning they can be seen as ‘shoving their lifestyle in other people’s faces,” says Emil. “For instance, a male colleague mentioning his wife is unlikely to attract attention, but a male colleague mentioning his husband is often seen as him trying to draw attention to the fact he’s gay.”
Age: Older employees may be stereotyped as less able to learn new processes or adapt. Younger employees may be seen as less emotionally mature or reliable.
Disability: People with disabilities are often seen as helpless or less capable than their peers. They may also be stereotyped as being dependent on a wheelchair.

How stereotypes impact employment and recruitment outcomes

At first glance, some stereotypes may seem more overtly harmful than others — but all of them can contribute to exclusion. This is because stereotypes can and do have an impact on everything from who applies to a job, to who gets promoted, who gets paid more, and ultimately, who ends up leading your company.

Research from 2014 found that candidates from ethnically marginalised groups often hold meta-stereotypes which can undermine their belief in their opportunity to get hired. When these are activated in the language you use in your job advert, it makes them less likely to apply to your job at all.
According to a 2019 study, women are more likely to discount positive feedback about their skills and show weak self-confidence. Down the line, this has a direct impact on their likelihood of negotiating a job offer.
Another 2019 study found that Black men are expected to negotiate less than White peers on salary. When they did negotiate, they were offered less as a result.
A 2019 review of 25 studies found a significant relationship between negative age stereotypes and job satisfaction, performance, and learning of older employees.

Stereotypes can also interact with each other and create whole new stereotypes specific to those intersections. For example, a Black woman doesn’t just face anti-Black racism and misogyny, but also experiences a specific type of discrimination that relates to her being Black and a woman.

How our platform eliminates stereotypes in your content

When we highlight a stereotype in your content, we’re not suggesting harm or banning specific words. Instead, we aim to show how certain terms, shaped by cultural biases, can negatively impact others.

We’re not saying women aren’t ambitious. Rather, women have historically been discouraged from being ambitious, and stereotypes like this still limit access to the workplace for many groups.

Our platform identifies biased language, highlights which groups are impacted, and explains why. This helps you understand how your language might be perceived by different identity groups.

Meta-stereotypes - beliefs people think others have about them - are key in understanding how certain language triggers biases. For example, the phrase ‘ambitious candidate’ might activate a meta-stereotype among women, who are often discouraged from showing ambition at work. This could lead to women being seen as aggressive when they do.

By recognizing stereotypical language, we can shift our habits, particularly in job ads, to avoid reinforcing these biases. This awareness can also serve as a diagnostic tool to identify hidden biases in workplace culture and help address their root causes.

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Breaking down stereotypes: Creating a more inclusive recruitment strategy

What are stereotypes, and why do they exist?

How stereotypes impact employment and recruitment outcomes

How our platform eliminates stereotypes in your content

Get a demo to see how easily you can eliminate stereotypes and bias from your job ads - and attract more qualified applicants 🚀

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