Unconscious bias in self-presentation: Gender inequality in Transportation Leadership

Despite possessing comparable qualifications, experience, and degrees, women are notably underrepresented in leadership positions within the transportation industry. Addressing this issue necessitates a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to the underrepresentation of women in senior roles. Although recent efforts have brought attention to the impact of a male-dominated culture, systemic obstacles, and unequal career advancement opportunities for women in the transportation industry, research exploring the impact of unconscious biases on the underrepresentation of female leaders, particularly in how they present their skills, capacity, and competency on social platforms, has been limited. This study utilizes a data-driven methodology that employs natural language processing to analyze over 3,000 publicly available LinkedIn profiles of leaders, both male and female, within prominent transportation companies. Our analysis delves into how these leaders present themselves, sharing their backgrounds, skills, and capacity on social media platforms, and contrasts this self-presentation with how their colleagues evaluate their skills through the recommendation section. The findings illustrate that, because of unconscious bias in self-representation, women tend to undervalue their competence and skills when compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, the results indicated that female leaders in the transportation industry were perceived as equally competent as their male counterparts, but significantly less likable, with a likability score of 28% compared to 51% for their male counterparts. This study underscores the significance of addressing these biases as a pivotal step towards achieving increased gender equality within leadership roles.