Women are put off applying for jobs requiring staff to be ‘assertive’

Britain’s biggest recruiter has launched a new service to strip job advertisements of gendered words and phrases, as it warns that using words such as “ambitious” and “assertive” can put women off applying.

Totaljobs is encouraging companies to use its Gender Bias Decoder to check whether any “male-gendered” or “female-gendered” words have been used. Adventurous, dominant and superior are all identified as male-gendered words, while loyal, sensitive and compassion are examples of female-gendered words, according to Totaljobs.

Companies should also steer clear of using gender-specific phrases, the job site said. An advertisement that says “We’re looking for strong…” or “We’re looking for exceptional…” may deter female applicants.

Men could be put off by postings that emphasise the need for prospective employees to “have a polite and pleasant style…” or “nurture and connect with customers”.

Last year, the advertising watchdog announced plans to ban adverts that encourage gender stereotypes such as women cleaning up after their family, or men failing to do housework.

The Advertising Standards Authority developed a set of tougher standards on adverts which portray “potentially harmful” gender stereotypes. The new standards will not ban all stereotypes, such as women cleaning or men doing DIY jobs.