[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-191361-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":81,"doc-detail-191361-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","avoiding-gender-bias-in-reference-writing","Avoiding Gender Bias in Reference Writing","","This document provides comprehensive guidance on avoiding gender bias in reference letters. It highlights common pitfalls such as mentioning research and publications more for men than women, encouraging women to emphasize accomplishments less assertively, and falling into gendered stereotypes when describing candidates. The guide advises writers to focus on objective achievements, use strong action verbs, and ensure a balanced representation of both genders. It offers specific adjectives to avoid, like 'caring' and 'compassionate' when describing women, and instead suggests professional ones like 'accomplished' and 'excellent'. The document also details that letters of reference for men are four times more likely to mention publications and twice as likely to mention research, while women are often described with fewer accomplishments. It emphasizes that unconscious gender bias isn't solely a male problem and requires conscious effort to counteract. The goal is to ensure fair and accurate representation of all candidates, regardless of gender, by adopting a professional and inclusive approach to letter writing.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/avoiding-gender-bias-in-reference-writing/191361/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/avoiding-gender-bias-in-reference-writing/191361.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Ava Thompson","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-05","2026-09-03",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is a common trap when writing reference letters for women?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"A common trap is underemphasizing women's accomplishments or framing them in terms of their \"skills\" or \"career,\" whereas men's accomplishments are more likely to be described with adjectives like \"hard-working.\"","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How can writers avoid gender stereotypes in reference letters?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Writers should avoid invoking positive but stereotypical traits like 'caring' or 'compassionate' for women, and instead focus on their achievements and professional capabilities. Similarly, avoid gendered language that implies women are inherently emotional or challenging.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why is it important to address unconscious gender bias in reference writing?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Unconscious gender bias in reference letters can unfairly disadvantage candidates. Recognizing that bias is not exclusive to one gender, it's crucial for everyone to actively work towards fair and accurate representation in their writing to ensure equitable opportunities.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},191361,1790192994,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,89,94,99,104,109,114,118,123],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":86,"show_sort_weight":87,"slug":88},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":90,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":95,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":100,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":105,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":110,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":115,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},18,30,"letters",{"id":119,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":124,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":126},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":128},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":129,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":22,"category_id":115,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":136,"language":137,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":138,"faqs":139,"seo_title":140,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":141,"read_time":30},1649267921044,"https://us-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1800007509477c92dfb?_k=1786009248482753345","| Total invited | Minimum/maximum of each gender |\n| --- | --- |\n| 2 | 1/1 |\n| 3 | 1/2 |\n| 4 | 1/3 |\n| 5 | 2/3 |\n| 6 | 2/4 |\n\n| I confirm I meet the Early Stage Researcher requirement | yes/no (select one) |\n| --- | --- |\n| Date of award-Masters’ degree (dd/mm/yyyy) |  |\n| Full-time postgraduate research experience\u003Cbr>(number of months) |  |\n\n\n| I confirm I meet the Mobility requirement | yes/no (select one) |\n| --- | --- |\n\n\n| Period from\u003Cbr>dd/mm/yyyy | Period to\u003Cbr>dd/mm/yyyy | Nr of\u003Cbr>days | Country |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n|  |  |  |  |\n|  |  |  |  |\n|  |  |  |  |\n|  |  |  |  |\n|  |  |  |  |\n|  |  |  |  |\n|  |  |  |  |\n| Total nr of days |  |  |  |","cbCairQzI7w6Rmtd","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairQzI7w6Rmtd","pdf",761955,8,"English","# Avoiding Gender Bias in Reference Writing\n## Mention research & publications\n## Don't stop now!\n## Emphasize accomplishments, not effort\n## We all share bias\n## Keep it professional\n## Stay away from stereotypes\n## Be careful raising doubt\n## Adjectives to avoid:\n## Adjectives to include:","[{\"question\":\"What is a common trap when writing reference letters for women?\",\"answer\":\"A common trap is underemphasizing women's accomplishments or framing them in terms of their \\\"skills\\\" or \\\"career,\\\" whereas men's accomplishments are more likely to be described with adjectives like \\\"hard-working.\\\"\"},{\"question\":\"How can writers avoid gender stereotypes in reference letters?\",\"answer\":\"Writers should avoid invoking positive but stereotypical traits like 'caring' or 'compassionate' for women, and instead focus on their achievements and professional capabilities. Similarly, avoid gendered language that implies women are inherently emotional or challenging.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is it important to address unconscious gender bias in reference writing?\",\"answer\":\"Unconscious gender bias in reference letters can unfairly disadvantage candidates. Recognizing that bias is not exclusive to one gender, it's crucial for everyone to actively work towards fair and accurate representation in their writing to ensure equitable opportunities.\"}]","Avoiding Gender Bias in Reference Writing | PDF",1788408219]