The Effect of Nonbinary Pronouns on Job Candidate Evaluations

Dados Bibliográficos

ID24242527
AutoresYasin Koc (0000-0002-6727-3842, University of Groningen, The Netherlands), Jojanneke Van Der Toorn (0000-0003-0476-772X, Leiden University, The Netherlands)
Ano2026
Data de publicação2026-10-23
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSocial Psychological and Personality Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1948-5506 • E-ISSN: 1948-5514
EditoraSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/19485506261498257
OpenAlexW7223446242
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas26

The increasing visibility of pronouns in professional settings raises questions about their influence on workplace outcomes, one of which is candidate evaluations in hiring. This study investigates how including pronouns on CVs affects evaluations of job candidates, focusing on competence, likeability, and suitability. In two preregistered, between-subject experiments ( N total = 408), we tested whether nonbinary pronouns (they/them) impact these evaluations differently compared with binary pronouns (he/him) or the absence of pronouns. Participants reviewed a job description and evaluated CVs with manipulated pronouns. Results showed a significant negative effect of nonbinary pronouns on candidate evaluations (Study 2), particularly among individuals with higher levels of prejudice (both studies). These findings highlight the challenges of gender identity expression in job applications and underscore the need to address biases in hiring practices to promote workplace equality.

CVS · gender identity expression · Gender nonconformity · gender stereotypes · hiring bias · job candidate evaluation · likeability · perceived competence · Prejudice · workplace equality · Gender Studies in Language · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research · Social and Intergroup Psychology