Cambridge professor warns 'hard-working' a sexist phrase

A Cambridge University professor has warned that the use of phrases like "hard-working" and "enthusiastic" in relation to women are unwittingly sexist and reflect gender bias.
Dame Athene Donald, professor of experimental physics at the university and master of Churchill College, said references were often unintentionally written in a "gendered way", with academics more likely to describe female applicants for research posts or fellowships as "hard-working" or "team players", 'The Sunday Times' reported.
She argued that such descriptions failed to communicate how good candidates actually were, unlike superlatives such as "excellent", "driven" or "outstanding", which were often reserved for males.

She said: "If letter writers just sit down and write the first adjectives that come into their heads to describe men and women, the words may be poles apart even if the subjects of the letters are indistinguishable in ability. Clearly this can lead to significant detriment to the woman's progression, even if without a sexist intent".
She feels the language fails to communicate whether a female PhD student is hard-working and conscientious, or that she was outstanding, goes the extra mile and always exceeds your expectations.
"There is an enormous difference in the impact of the two descriptions," she said.