-
oa Neurologe of liever neuroloog?
Het effect van vrouwelijke functiebenamingen op de geloofwaardigheid van medisch specialisten
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing, Volume 43, Issue 1, mei 2021, p. 35 - 63
-
- 01 mei 2021
Samenvatting
The effect of female job titles on the credibility of medical specialists
Speakers of Dutch as spoken in the Netherlands often use masculine job titles for female professionals. We tested the influence of gender(in)congruent job titles on the credibility of medical specialists in Dutch as spoken in the Netherlands. More specifically, we investigated whether the credibility of female medical specialists is boosted by referring to them with a masculine job title (e.g., neuroloog ‘neurologist (masc.)’) as opposed to a feminine job title (e.g., neurologe ‘neurologist (fem.)’). We also tested if this effect is moderated by participant gender.
We constructed three news articles in which a medical specialist – either a neurologist, oncologist or a surgeon – shared their opinion on a health topic. The medical specialist was referred to by either the masculine or the feminine job title, thereby being incongruent or congruent with the female medical specialist’s actual gender, respectively. After having read the article, participants had to rate the medical specialist on several dimensions, based on which we calculated the health professional’s perceived credibility.
The results of this study showed a significant difference between female and male participants regarding the influence of gender(in)congruent job titles on the credibility of medical specialists. Women perceived male and female medical specialists as equally credible, regardless of their job titles. Men, on the other hand, evaluated the credibility of female medical specialists to be lower when they were referred to with a masculine job title. Gender congruent job titles thus increase female medical specialists’ credibility from the perspective of men.