When Recos Let Women Down

A recommendation letter could hamper a woman’s career growth, according to ongoing research at Rice University.

A recommendation letter could hamper a woman’s career growth, according to ongoing research at Rice University. Researchers at the university reviewed 624 letters of recommendation for 194 applicants—for junior faculty positions at a US university. They found that letter writers conformed to traditional gender schemas while describing candidates. Female candidates were described in more communal (social or emotive) terms and male candidates in more agentic (active or assertive) terms.

Next, the names and personal pronouns were removed from the letters and faculty members were asked to evaluate them. This only pointed out that “being communal is not valued in academia,” says Randi Martin, one of the researchers. Words in the communal category included adjectives such as affectionate, helpful, kind, sympathetic, nurturing, tactful and agreeable, and behaviours such as helping others, taking direction well and maintaining relationships. Agentic adjectives included words such as confident, aggressive, ambitious, dominant, forceful, independent, daring, outspoken and intellectual, and behaviours such as speaking assertively, influencing others and initiating tasks.