Gendered Language on the Economics Job Market Rumors Forum

摘要

Women are underrepresented in math-intensive fields (Ceci et al. 2014; Kahn and Ginther 2017), and analysts have noted that the representation gap is as large or larger in economics than in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields on average (e.g., Bayer and Rouse 2016). Among various mechanisms that have been proposed to explain this gap,1 one that seems particularly relevant but that has not yet been evaluated systematically, is the role of an unwelcoming culture that reinforces stereotypical beliefs of men as an in-group in the field and women as an out-group (e.g., Tajfel and Turner 1986; Tonso 1996).This paper attempts to assess the existence of an unwelcoming or stereotypical culture using evidence on how women and men are portrayed in anonymous discussions on the Economics Job Market Rumors forum (EJMR). As its name suggests, EJMR was established to share information about job interviews and outcomes in each year's hiring cycle, though it is active year-round. EJMR users post anonymously about economics-related or miscellaneousissues. Anonymity presumably eliminates social pressures that constrain participants' speech in other public settings, leading to a record of postings that reveal what participants believe but would not otherwise openly express.