Promoting gender equality in organizations: from gender-inclusive language to female leaders as role models

According to the latest Global Gender Gap Report, discrimination against women remains a global issue, despite notable progress in recent years. This research examined the role of gender-inclusive language and female leadership within organizations as key pillars of gender equality in the workplace. The first aim was to investigate whether the use of gender-inclusive linguistic forms in both formal and informal workplace communication was associated with employees’ intentions to resign within an Italian public administration (Studies 1-2 on inclusive language). It further examined whether perceived discrimination, social exclusion, and job satisfaction mediated this relationship. The findings indicated that the use of gender-inclusive language, both formally and informally, was negatively correlated with turnover intentions, with perceived exclusion and job satisfaction serving as mediating factors. Second, the research aimed to examine the perfection bias, namely the tendency to consider higher standards for women during job selection processes, in appointing female leaders (Studies 1-2 on female leadership). Subsequently, the influence of different types of female role models on women’s career aspirations was investigated (Study 3 on female leadership). Specifically, we analyzed the conditions under which a female role model is perceived as inspirational and attainable, particularly regarding the qualifications required for women to be appointed to leadership roles. Results revealed that women were perceived to need to meet more criteria than men to attain such positions, and that the most appointable female candidate was not viewed as the most inspirational or desirable. Overall, the research findings emphasized that inclusivity plays a crucial role in advancing gender equality in the workplace, influencing both organizational policies and the ways individuals perceive their own and others’ potential for success.