What keeps women away from job positions? A factorial survey on the influence of the design of a job advertisement on its appeal

Abstract

Occupational sex segregation produces and reproduces social inequality between the sexes. Against this background, this article focuses on the perception of job advertisements. If women consider individual features of a job advertisement to be more or less attractive, this can contribute to occupational sex segregation. This article analyses the rating of job advertisements by varying their linguistic presentation and the characteristics of the jobs mentioned in the advertisements. Employing a factorial survey, 224 female participants aged 25–40 years were asked to rate hypothetical job advertisements that differed in several dimensions. By running a mixed-effects model, we identified the causal effects for each dimension. The results show that flexible working hours are the most significant factor. Furthermore, women rate advertisements as more attractive if gender-fair forms are used. Female role models are also relevant.