Yang Jiayao

School of English Studies Xi'an International Studies University

Abstract：

This study examines 15 recruitment advertisements labeled as “women preferred” or “women-friendly” on domestic recruitment platforms, employing Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and gender discourse theory to explore how these ads construct “pseudo-equality,” naturalize gender stereotypes, and reflect underlying social power dynamics. The findings reveal that “women-friendly” advertisements employ linguistic strategies such as gendered vocabulary selection and presuppositional sentence structures to bind traits like “attentiveness’ and “affinity” to women, while justifying discrimination under the guise of “efficiency” and “stability.” Such discourse represents a collusion between neoliberalism and patriarchal ideology, attributing gender inequality to “personal traits” rather than structural issues, thereby reinforcing gendered power hierarchies in the workplace. The study recommends reducing implicit discrimination by regulating recruitment language and strengthening corporate accountability.

Key Words：

recruitment advertisements; implicit discrimination; critical discourse analysis