71% of talent professionals report that achieving gender parity at their company is a top priority. Although there has been progress within the area, there is still a long way to go. 

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• Women are less present within the job market: in 2020, the activity rate of women between 25 and 49 years old was at 82,5 %, whilst it was 91,9 % for men
• Women’s salaries are lower by 17% compared to those of men for the same work volume
• Women have less senior positions: 66% of managerial roles were given to men whilst only 34% to women

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One of the key ways to fight against this is by understanding how men and women apply to offers to then include them more equally. 

Based on a Linkedin study, we identified the following differences: 

• Women are less confident when they apply
• Men are more likely to ask for a referral when they apply
• Women prioritize salary and benefits more

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Women are less confident when they apply

3 key figures can demonstrate this point:

• Women consult more job offers than men: 41 job offers consulted in 2018 versus 37 for men
• They apply less than men: they are 16% less likely to apply than a man.  
• They restrict themselves to offers where they are overqualified: women seek to respond to 100% of the skills sought while men seek to respond to only 60%.

This difference in candidacy reveals a lack of self-confidence; they evaluate themselves rigorously and consequently turn away from offers. Women therefore tend to be highly qualified for the offers they apply for. Fortunately, their talent is recognized as they are 16% more likely than men to be hired after applying for a job.

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Men are more likely to ask for a referral when they apply

Women are 26% less likely than men to request a referral, even if they have a connection at the company for a job they are interested in. Although employee referrals are highly prized by companies and are considered the top source for recruiting quality hires, there is a gender disparity in the willingness to ask for a referral. 

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Women prioritize salary and benefits more

68% of women stated salary and benefits were the most important information in a job description whilst in comparison to 58% of men. Including salary ranges in job postings is key to show dedication to transparency and equitable pay. Recently, a law has been passed in France that obliges companies to communicate on their salaries. Women also may place more importance on benefits such as flexible working arrangements, parental leave and healthcare, so it's essential to incorporate these details into job descriptions.

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Women and men do share similarities

41% of women and 42% of men research a company on Linkedin before applying. Although we have highlighted certain differences, they do share the desire to learn about the company culture before applying. 

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That’s not all, 88% of women and 90% of men are open to new opportunities. They are both equally ready for new opportunities and willing to exchange with recruiters about it. 

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How to make your recruitment process more inclusive

1. Start working from within

First, identify if there already exists a misbalance in your company’s gender-balance ratio and compare it to the industry average. It could also be interesting to verify this ratio in different departments, job functions and seniority levels of your company. A company that’s highly male-dominated is easily felt by a candidate and may stir them away.

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2. Strengthen employer branding

As we have previously seen, both men and women are interested in a company’s culture and the only way to properly communicate it is through employer branding. Naturally, a key way to attract women to apply to your jobs would be by showing your dedication to diversity in the way you operate and communicate online. Emphasizing the accomplishments of female employees, particularly those in leadership roles, could also be interesting in highlighting the opportunities you give to all genders.

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3. Adapt your job descriptions 

Women tend to apply to jobs they are fully qualified for and pay attention to salary and benefits. For your job descriptions to be responsive for them, it would then be interesting to 

focus less on qualifications and requirements within a job description and more on performance objectives. It would also be interesting to include the salary range and benefits to highlight transparency. 

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4. Monitor your performance

To avoid any biases in your recruitment strategy, leverage data. 

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You can analyze the gender view-to-apply conversions for your job postings, which can be tracked on platforms like LinkedIn Jobs. These numbers can be essential in understanding if your job descriptions are inclusive and appeal to underrepresented genders.

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It could also be interesting to keep track of who you are sourcing - are they essentially female or male candidates? Are men or women responding more to your messages? Maybe you need to adapt your messages and make them more inclusive as well.

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Monitoring your source of hire is also key to identify any gender bias in your referral pipeline, which can be one of the top sources of hire. Encourage employees to be mindful of gender bias and consider balancing the pipeline with sourced candidates and job applicants.

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Be the start to change

Although many improvements have been made in achieving gender parity within the work field, there still is a long way to go and recruitment is a crucial factor in accomplishing this goal. To address the inequalities, it is important to understand the disparities in how men and women apply to job offers, including women's lack of confidence in their job search. We thus recommend strengthening employer branding, adapting job descriptions and monitoring performance to avoid biases in recruitment strategies to become more inclusive and attractive to all genders. 

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Reduce your time to hire, reach qualified candidates and enrich your pipeline with qualified talent. If these are your goals,  contact us and we'll help you build and engage talent communities thanks to our TRM.

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Sources

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LinkedIn. (2019). Gender Insights Report. Retrieved 26/04/2022 from https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/talent-solutions/emerging-jobs-report/Emerging_Jobs_Report_US_FINAL.pdf

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DARES. (2019). Les tests de recrutement : quels impacts sur l'égalité femmes-hommes ? [Recruitment tests: what impact on gender equality?]. Retrieved 26/04/2022 from https://dares.travail-emploi.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/856bfe5b762806b7de946513071c2b50/Dares%20Analyses_testing_femmes-hommes.pdf

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Iraqi, M. (2021). Parité homme / femme sur le marché de l’emploi : c’est toujours pas ça ! Le Média 100% RH. Retrieved 26/04/2022 from https://www.parlonsrh.com/media/parite-homme-femme-marche-emploi/ 

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