How gendered language emerges in applicant materials and leadership descriptions in the hospitality industry: A text analysis study

Abstract

The hospitality industry faces a gender gap in leadership. Further research is needed to explore if gender ste­ reotypes emerge naturally in applicant materials, like resumes and cover letters. This paper examines the use of agentic and communal language in men and women’s self-descriptions in applicant materials, as well as dif­ ferences in agentic and communal language in descriptions of successful leaders in the industry. Across Studies 1–3, women used more communal language than men in self-descriptions in applicant materials, though dif­ ferences in agentic language did not emerge. Study 4 found that agentic characteristics were strongly associated with leadership in respondent descriptions of successful leaders in the industry. These findings suggest that gender stereotypes in selection contexts can be attributed to women using more communal language in applicant materials and highlight the need to assess potentially biased selection processes in the hospitality industry.