Job-Seekers with ‘They/Them’ Pronouns on Resume are Less Likely to Get the Job, Study Finds
According to a new study, resumes with “they/them” pronouns are more likely to be overlooked by employers. Managers shared that they were “less likely to want to contact an applicant whose resume included ‘they/them’ pronouns,” according to the study.
The study began with 400 “non-binary” people who use “they/them” pronouns, and asked, “To what extent do you feel that identifying yourself as nonbinary to a potential employer would affect your job search?” 59 percent of respondents shared that it “hurt their job search,” with another 24 percent sharing, “it would very much hurt.” Only 6 percent of respondents felt that adding their pronouns would “help,” somewhat or very much.
Organizers of the study then conducted their own test in which they sent two similar resumes to 180 job postings. The only difference between the two resumes was that one contained “they/them” gender pronouns.
The fake applicants were listed as college graduates with all the required qualifications for the job being applied for. However, “the test resumes that included pronouns received eight percent less employer interest than the control resumes without pronouns,” according to Business. The resume with the gender pronouns also led to fewer requests for phone and screen interviews as well — despite, “64 percent of the companies” claiming to be Equal Opportunity Employers.
In the age of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” organizers of the study were appalled by the results. However, many have pointed out some of the reasons why this might be.
Back in October 2021, a Canadian transgender employee who used “they/them” pronouns was fired after complaining that coworkers had used the wrong pronouns when addressing them. They were then awarded $30,000 after winning a discrimination complaint.
While Canada’s laws on misgendering people are much more strict than those in the United States, these laws are slowly making their way into the US, with Michigan trying to make using the wrong gender pronoun a felony that could be finable up to $10,000.
TikTok has been another popular way for people to look into the minds of the “non-binary” working class, with many pointing to the aggressive attitude of those who get easily offended if their pronouns are misused.
In one TikTok post, a “genderfluid” actor shares that he was “misgendered” in an email three times, leading to him correcting an “administrator in front of her own boss.”
“I’ve had to defend my own identity” he shared, “this creates an awkward power dynamic that could have been completely avoided.” He continued in another video created to highlight, “how deeply micro-aggressions and misgendering affect trans people in every facet of life.’
Transgender commentator, Blaire White also adds in his own take on the issue sharing, “I’d imagine giving your employer the chore of addressing you in an entirely unnatural way may be a non-starter I fear.”
In the age of our language being completely rewritten and the LGBTQ community taking “misgendering” as an attack, it’s no surprise that employers overlook the applicants already making demands before they’re even hired.
