What’s in a word? 11 BILLION words to be exact!
And can we blame them for the slow rate of change in the gender gap?
Possibly!
Researchers analysed 3.5 MIL books (published in English between 1900 – 2008, fiction & non-fiction)
Key findings?
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Negative verbs associated with body and appearance appear 5X as often for women as men
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“Beautiful” and “sexy” are two of the adjectives most frequently used to describe women *
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“Righteous”, “rational”, and “courageous” are commonly used labels for men
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Adjectives for women were 2X as likely to describe physical appearance, whereas words that refer to behaviour go to men.
This goes a long way to support my theory after 9 years of observing posting behaviours on Facebook, that photos of women are rewarded by others commenting on their beauty, whereas action shots are the most commented on for men.
Thanks to computer scientist and Assistant Professor Isabelle Augenstein of the University of Copenhagen’s computer science department.
YOUR THOUGHTS? Have you noticed a difference in the way we describe or even recognize men and women – on social posts, in literature or in the media? Do you think this impacts on the gender gap?
#womenofimpact #LookOutCSuiteHereSheComes #ICreateSheroes
Fortune favours the well prepared particularly on LinkedIn
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