Better marketing for female marketers: Gendered language in the Forbes CMO list

Abstract Published in 26 languages across 68 countries, Forbes is one of the most-read business periodicals globally, and in 2019, its annual Top 50 World’s Most Influential CMOs list highlighted 31 female CMOs and 19 male CMOs who demonstrate industry-shaping leadership. In this article, we analyze the language used to describe the male and female CMOs on the list to determine whether certain words are commonly seen as gendered characteristics, as leadership traits, or as compliments. Using this data, we find that Forbes presents female CMOs in a gendered way and argue for the importance of strategically choosing leadership words for female marketing leaders.