This tool determines whether a performance review, introduction, recommendation or other body of text uses more communal or agentic adjectives.
Visit the tool here: http://rkstedman.github.io/agentic-communal/
Agentic adjectives denote self-directed actions aimed at personal development or personally chosen goals. Other associations include dominance, qualities relevant for goal-attainment, such as assertiveness, competence or persistence, goal-achievement and task functioning. Generally, words like leader, assertive, confident, intellectual, ambitious, dominant, forceful, independent and outspoken are known as "agentic" (active/assertive) words and have typically described men in the past (1).
Communal adjectives describe of, belonging to, or shared by the people of a community; public. Other associations include nurturance and qualities relevant for the establishment and maintenance of social relationships and social functioning (benevolence, trustworthiness).
Although these are all positive attributes, the unfortunate reality is that when individuals are perceived as communal, they are automatically seen as less agentic. Individuals described with agentic adjectives tend to be seen as better leaders. Thus, as we unconsciously accredit men with agentic traits and women with communal ones, we perpetuate our cultural beliefs that men—who are agentic—are the natural leaders.
This website was inspired by a talk by Lori Mackenzie of the Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
Dig into the research with The Dynamics of Masculine-Agentic and Feminine-Communal Traits: Findings From a Prospective Study