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While filling out a job application in the US, I noticed a label designating M/F/D/V.

Is this important? What does this label mean?

Stevoisiak
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3 Answers3

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It refers to the employer being an equal opportunities employer.

  • m refers to male (in some places also minority).
  • f refers to female.
  • d refers to disabled.
  • v refers to veteran.
Stefan
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    Is this for the US? would be good to add that tag –  Aug 08 '17 at 13:51
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    Germany too: https://stackoverflow.com/jobs/397837/python-software-engineer-f-m-d-european-xfel-gmbh – Roman Shapovalov Jul 03 '20 at 10:10
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    @RomanShapovalov This is never used in the US. EEO is a term used in the US. The M/F/D/V is used in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, etc just as you said, see https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/59664/why-are-places-specifying-m-f-in-the-job-title This answer is incorrect. – Ellie Kesselman Dec 14 '20 at 09:21
  • @EllieKesselman I have to ask, given the OP gives no location, and my answer imposes no location but answers the question perfectly, how is it incorrect? The fact that you use something different in the US does not make my answer incorrect. –  Dec 14 '20 at 09:54
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    @Moo I've edited my question to specify I am from the US. – Stevoisiak Dec 14 '20 at 16:50
  • @Stevoisiak that would have helped 3 years ago, but right now its just vandalism. And even so, your location doesnt change the meaning of the label used, so why remove the accept vote? –  Dec 14 '20 at 18:01
  • May I ask in which country this is used? I see the need for m and f in languages where there are different nouns for both genders, but not for English. The veteran things seems completely strange to me. – guest Dec 15 '20 at 07:37
  • @guest you certainly can, but thats another question and should be posted as such - its a worthy one as well, so dont be afraid to. –  Dec 15 '20 at 08:03
  • @Moo: I mean in your answer. Could you explain what countries you mean? I don't know if it's allowed to ask a new question about an answer to another question. – guest Dec 15 '20 at 08:11
  • @guest no, because I answered the original question and its three years old now, my research is gone and Im not going to do it again. And yes, its perfectly fine to ask a question about another questions content if its sufficiently different to the original question or its answers. –  Dec 15 '20 at 08:20
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Ever hear an advertisement that "Company X is an Equal Opportunity Employer?" Technically, it doesn't really mean anything - it's against the law to use information on any of the protected groups as a deciding factor for hiring - the protected groups being: race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, orientation, and physical disability. (Correction, it looks like the page is a bit out of date, and Veteran was added to the Protected Groups back in 2015.)

It's the same thing as M/F/D/V - it's just something that doesn't technically mean anything, apart from "We follow the law, and don't discriminate." Because discriminating based on Male/Minority, Female, Veteran, or Disabled is already against the law.

Beyond that, the intent upon adding it could be any number of things. It could be simple boilerplate upon a standard job listing. It could be an active attempt at virtue signalling. It could be a company trying to get past a black-eye over discriminatory practices in their recent past. It could even be trying to subtly get more people with a non-majority status in one of those groups to apply (aka, more women, minorities, veterans, or disabled people.) Honestly, though, the best guess is probably just Boilerplate.

Kevin
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    Yeah, I never quite understood why companies feel the need to label themselves as Equal Opportunity Employers, as it's already mandated by law. Might was well advertise "we pay our employees at least minimum wage" or "we will document and pay appropriate payroll taxes" or "we don't compel our employees into indentured servitude". – Nuclear Hoagie Jan 16 '19 at 19:35
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    My god, this is horrible. Is this what the world has become? You have to explicitly tell people you're not discriminating? "We're hiring! Yes, also if you're a retarded female veteran in a wheelchair ofcourse!" – Rob Jun 24 '19 at 13:22
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    Well it does serve as a red or yellow flag for company culture. :} – Vael Victus Feb 03 '20 at 14:28
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    eh, most job listings in Belgium list as "such and such, M/F", especially if the profession name has both a male and female variant (waiter/waitress). I think it is just standard CYA practice by now. – htmlcoderexe May 05 '20 at 19:08
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    @htmlcoderexe Good point, this may encourage people of all genders consider to apply when it’s somewhat against cultural norms, e.g. males apply to a nurse position. – Roman Shapovalov Jul 03 '20 at 10:09
  • This answer is incorrect. EEO equal opportunity is a specifically US law. M/F/D has a similar but legally distinct meaning and is used in European countries (e.g. Germany, France, Italy) but never in the US. – Ellie Kesselman Dec 14 '20 at 09:23
  • @htmlcoderexe In Belgium, that makes sense though as French (less so Dutch) is a far more gendered language - almost everything is referred to in a gendered way, including objects. Job titles are similarly gendered, at least in their spelling. If you put one spelling, you risk the misconception that the company is discriminating and putting both job titles can be wordy, so the compromise is '(M/F)' – 520 says Reinstate Monica Dec 15 '20 at 12:06
  • @NuclearHoagie 1) The law doesn't apply to all employers. 2) The EEO statement is legally required if the employer contracts or subcontracts with the federal government. – BSMP Dec 15 '20 at 19:29
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I don't see that notation on postings as much as I used to. My understanding is it is an attempt to notify people they follow all US Government guidelines about non-discrimination against those categories of people. I've seen the M as either minority or male. F = female, D=disabled, V=veteran. Also, I think, government projects get extra points for having people from those categories employed. Its certainly not saying ONLY people from those categories will be hired, that would be discrimination just as much as saying they would not be hired for the position.

bluegreen
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