Rhetoric of Paragraphs
How We Describe Male and Female Job Applicants Differently
by Mikki Hebl, Christine L. Nittrouer, Abigail R. Corrington and Juan M. Madera
Harvard Business Review Online, September 27, 2018
Words matter. And the words we use to describe men versus women differ in significant ways that can affect their careers.
This starts early on. Research finds that girls who are described as “bossy” are viewed negatively in ways that boys are not. This discrepancy continues into adulthood where the description of being “ambitious” is an insult for women but not for men.
Such words impact the identities that young girls and women form, pushing many of them to feel that they need to be “nice,” a pressure they carry into their careers. For instance, in a recent study of residents training to be physicians, almost half of the women described “apprehension in appearing ‘bossy’ when leading cardiopulmonary resuscitation drills,” whereas no male participants expressed this concern.
Global Analysis:
Paragraph One: Immediately to the point, the two sentence opening paragraph not only defines the authors’ position but also acts as both introduction and conclusion. It sets the tone for the case to be made in the following paragraphs, which draw out examples and case studies in service of supporting these opening sentences.
Paragraph Two: If the opening paragraph is the what, the second paragraph is the when (‘early on’ and ‘into adulthood’) and how (research-based descriptions of being ‘bossy’ and ‘ambitious’). This paragraph begins to put some meat on the bones of the opening paragraph by aligning its claims with existing research, but also providing familiar context for us to engage with. It is attempting to bring a gravitas and authority to the original statements by informing the reader that this isn’t just opinion, this is more a proven truth.
The middle paragraph is connected to the first paragraph in echoing it with a simple sentence, but also begins to illustrate the position in the first paragraph with examples. If the first paragraph describes the words used for men and women being different, the second paragraph helps us as readers understand what those words are.
The middle paragraph then links to the third by building on the examples built in both the first and second paragraphs. If the first paragraph tells us what the problem is, the second tells us what that problem looks like, and the third lets us know the impact and consequence of the problem itself. If the second paragraph gives us two examples of negative words, the third continues this thought by referring back to them by opening with ‘such words’, linking together the examples of the second with the descriptive impact of the third.
Paragraph Three: The third paragraph begins to lay out impact and consequence, and builds upon the previous two paragraphs by introducing not just the idea of research findings, but material examples of what that research looked like in supporting a position within an argument. Paragraph three gets specific as the case begins to be made and the argument built. This paragraph builds upon the previous two by drawing upon the previous examples of impact, language and the path from childhood to adulthood, and further draws negative comparison between male and female perception.
Local Analysis:
Sentence One: This starts early on.
This sentence acts as a bridge between paragraphs, and helps us as readers place the opening argument in time. We know what ‘this’ is, but know we have the context of origin wrapped around the previous two thoughts.
Sentence Two: Research finds that girls who are described as “bossy” are viewed negatively in ways that boys are not.
Another declarative statement echoing the sentences in the first paragraph, but building upon them by adding the context of research findings, and coupling it with an example. It helps the reader understand what the negative descriptions look and sound like, and introduces the idea that this isn’t just men and women (as described in the first paragraph), but reinforces the middle paragraph’s opening statement that this is also boys and girls. It borrows the binary from the first paragraph to support the opening statement of the second.
Sentence Three: This discrepancy continues into adulthood where the description of being “ambitious” is an insult for women but not for men.
If the second sentence gives us example and situates it in childhood, the third places the same argument later in life. It draws a connection between the language of bossy girls and ambitious women, but leaves the consistent point between them that males do not experience this, regardless of age. The third sentence brings the argument closer to the reader, who we assume is an adult, but describing this as a long-term and ongoing cultural problem. All three sentences essentially make the same point, but three different ways. The first tells us when the problem starts. The second tells us what that looks like in children. And the third shows us what it looks like in adults. The middle paragraph spans time from early to the present as a means of linking these sentences together.
