UNITED STATES — Virtue signaling and gender confusion are not winning attributes for job applicants, a new study suggests.
In an effort to test “bias,” Business.com sent two virtually identical resumes to 180 job postings. The only key difference? One “test resume” included “they/them” pronouns, while the other “control resume” listed no pronouns.
“Though most companies were Equal Opportunity Employers, the test resume with pronouns received less interest and fewer interview invitations than the control resume,” the study reported.
Moreover, the hiring managers were even willing to admit they preferred applicants without pronouns.
“To find out why the resume with pronouns may have gotten less interest, we sought feedback directly from hiring managers,” study researchers noted. “We found that these managers were also less likely to want to contact an applicant whose resume included ‘they/them’ pronouns.”
CONFIDENCE IS KEY, CONFUSION IS NOT
The study also surveyed people who say they are neither male nor female, identifying instead as “non-binary.” Over 80 percent of respondents said they believed their “non-binary” status would lower their chance of securing a job.
“I have not experienced difficulty working as a nonbinary person in New York City, but I previously lived in South Carolina where it was more difficult,” one 25-year-old professional told researchers. “In South Carolina, I was told I had to stay closeted to succeed.”
In Florida – where the state has opposed the concept of gender fluidity – employers may be less likely to feel pressured to employ men and women who are confused about their gender.
One 34-year-old full-time worker who is gender-confused told the outlet: “I am in the nonbinary closet due to professional reasons. I live in Florida, and coming out as nonbinary could cost me future job opportunities.”
