Gender Differences in Self-Description: A Linguistic Analysis of Orthopedic Surgery Residency Application Personal Statements.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess differences in language characteristics in personal statements written by male and female applicants to an orthopedic surgery residency program.

Design: This is a blinded retrospective analysis of personal statements from all applicants to an orthopedic surgery residency training program during 1 application cycle. Language characteristics were analyzed using a linguistic analysis software. This software evaluated 19 variables, including word count, 4 summary language variables (analytical thinking, clout, authenticity, and emotional tone), and 14 additional word categories.

Setting: Our study took place at [institution].

Participants: All applications submitted during the 2018-2019 residency application cycle were analyzed. 889 applicants were included in the study based on exclusion criteria, which omitted the 5 applicants who ultimately matched at our institution, as well as non-US citizens.

Results: Word count was not statistically significant between groups. Amongst the summary language variables, authenticity was higher in female applicants (p = 0.0142). Of the selected word categories, males averaged a higher score in certainty (p = 0.0418), while females averaged higher scores in curiosity (p = 0.0102), perception (p = 0.0486), and attention (p = 0.0293).

Conclusions: Subtle differences exist in the language characteristics of personal statements written by male and female applicants to orthopedic surgery residency. The implications of our findings would be strengthened by new data on specific language characteristics and communication skills most desired by orthopedic program directors. Lastly, as evaluation metrics for residency applications continue to change, personal statements may assume an even more important role.