The UK technology industry was found to be the least biased of all UK sectors when it came to using gender-based language, according to data from job search site Adzuna.

The research was conducted in March 2017, and analysed a selection of traditionally masculine and feminine words across more than one million live job ads on Adzuna, observing the number of adverts in which each word appeared. The search covered 28 sectors and all 12 regions of the UK, to identify the industries most likely to appeal to applicants of each gender.

While the tech industry was named the least sexist, the research found a high proportion of ‘male-dominated’ words in adverts for sales and consultancy positions, with words identified as masculine by the study, like 'superior' and 'challenge' appearing more often than the likes of 'considerate' and 'understanding'. Adverts for roles in teaching, social work and nursing, on the other hand, were found to be worded in a way that may appeal more to female candidates, with an emphasis on ‘compassion’, ‘warmth’ and soft skills.

The most popular of the ‘masculine’ words included ‘lead’ (410,748), ‘active’ (219,468) and ‘competitive’ (202,188); but ‘outspoken’ (42) and ‘stubborn’ (37) employees were less in demand.

Of the feminine words, ‘support’ (519,187 mentions), ‘responsive’ (483,428) and ‘understand’(241,741) occurred most frequently in job descriptions on the Adzuna website.

Regionally, Northern Ireland and London saw the largest concentration of job adverts geared towards male candidates. Recruiters in the east of the country, on the other hand (including the North East, East and South Eastern regions) were more likely to appeal to female candidates, based on the language used in job ads in these areas.

“While the tech industry once again seems to be making great strides and disrupting traditional recruitment methods, some exceptions still exist,” Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, said. “In the emerging world of data science. Our research showed both data scientist and data architect roles remain more appealing for the male of the species.”

”Unconscious bias may lead to accidental discrimination, but there is no excuse in 2017.  It’s time for employers to head back to the drawing board and redesign their recruitment basics in order to keep up with the times,” Monro said.