Women are more assertive than men on Facebook, according to a new study

We’re still fighting for equality in the workplace (gender pay gap, anyone?), but it looks like women have surpassed men in a different area: social media.

According to a recent study, women are more likely to use assertive words on Facebook, while also leading the charge in warm, gentle language. Men, on the other hand, were proven to swear, argue, and express anger more frequently in their interactions.

The study examined a whopping 10 million Facebook posts, which was given the insightful yet wordy name of “Women are Warmer but No Less Assertive Than Men: Gender and Language on Facebook.” Sixty-five thousand Facebook users between the ages of 16 and 64 granted researchers permission to access up to two years of status updates, beginning in 2009. The average age of the participants in the study was 26 years old.

Back to the findings: To break it down even more, the words most commonly used by women were “wonderful,” “happy,” “birthday,” “daughter,” “baby,” “excited,” and “thankful.” According to the data, women were more likely to talk about their families and social lives. There was also evidence that women use intensive adverbs more frequently — meaning that yes, it’s scientifically proven that women write the word “sooooo” more often than men.

On the contrary, men were affiliated with words related to violence and gaming, including “freedom,” “liberty,” “win,” “lose,” “battle,” and “enemy.”

“The differences were interpreted as reflecting a male tendency toward objects and impersonal topics and a female tendency toward psychological and social processes,” the article states.

Anyway, we’re pumped to see that women are being more assertive on the internet. Now let’s see that translate into our paychecks!