Assessment of Gender Differences in Letters of Recommendation for Physical Therapy Residency Applications.

Introduction: Letters of recommendation (LOR) are an integral component of physical therapy residency applications. Identifying the influence of applicant and writer gender in LOR will help identify whether potential implicit gender bias exists in physical therapy residency application processes.

Review Of Literature: Several medical and surgical residency education programs have reported positive, neutral, or negative LOR female gender bias among applicants and writers.

Gender-based Language Differences in Letters of Recommendation.

Gender stereotyping is the practice of assigning or ascribing specific characteristics, differences, or identities to a person solely based on their gender. Biased conceptions of gender can create barriers to equality and need to be proactively identified and addressed. In biomedical education, letters of recommendation (LOR) are considered an important source for evaluating candidates' past performance.