Claim
The words used to describe women versus men at work, direct vs abrasive, confident vs intimidating, strategic vs political, passionate vs emotional, are alive and well in 2026. Same behaviors, different headlines. Those words don't just describe people incorrectly; they shape how women are evaluated, promoted, and trusted, and they push women into softening, over-preparing, and apologizing before they speak.
Mechanism
Performance reviews are written in language. When the same behavior gets a different headline based on gender, the cumulative effect over a career is biased ratings, promotions, and trust scores. Asking 'would I use this exact word if they were a different gender' is the simplest in-the-moment correction because it makes the bias visible while the writer can still change it.
Conditions
Holds in any org running written performance feedback. Fails when feedback is purely numeric, there other bias mechanisms dominate.