Abstract:

Despite the many advances that have been achieved in education and career access over the years in Europe, several unconscious gender biases, especially in the work domain, still persist, which can make some job opportunities less appealing either to male or to female candidates. For example, some applicants or recruiters may unconsciously associate some jobs to a particular gender, or the job adverts may contain words biased towards a particular gender. In the recruitment process, this can discourage individuals from applying to a particular position, regardless of their qualifications leading to an unequal distribution of men and women across professional domains and perpetuating gender disparities in the labor market.
This paper aims to investigate the experiences of individuals (including both recruiters and job seekers) regarding unconscious bias and awareness in the recruitment process. The study has been conducted under the framework of the European project “Overcoming Gender Bias in Career Opportunities” and employs a questionnaire that covers a diverse sample of responders from Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, and Poland. The questionnaire collects data about the job experience of the responders and the gender bias practices that they have observed in the job market and their awareness about this issue. Data from 307 professionals and job recruiters confirm the persistence of gender stereotypes and biases in career choices and opportunities. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of awareness for both job applicants and recruiters in promoting gender equality.

Keywords:

Gender bias, job market, experiences and awareness, recruitment processes, mitigation strategy.