On gender specificity of person characteristics in personnel advertisements: A study among future applicants

This research is an examination of how person characteristics mentioned in personnel advertisements influence the judgments of male and female student s with regard to their subjective eligibility for, and the attractiveness o f, a particular vacancy. The first study showed that many frequently mentio ned person characteristics in personnel advertisements applied differently to men and women, but that female characteristics were more in demand than male characteristics. The second study examined to what degree male and fem ale participants felt that they themselves possessed male and female charac teristics; results showed that the men were more confident about the degree to which they possessed male and female characteristics than the women wer e. The third study examined how the type of person characteristics mentione d in personnel advertisements influenced men's and women's judgments regard ing their eligibility for and the attractiveness of a particular position. The men found all positions about equally attractive, whereas the women fou nd "male" positions considerably less attractive. Implications of the study are discussed.