Language as Dual Capital: Linguistic Predictors of Inclusion in Pakistani Business Context

Abstract

In Pakistan’s business sector, the push for workplace diversity has yet to create many jobs for people with disabilities. Person-first disability terminology (PFDT) is increasingly recognized in corporate style guides as a marker of inclusive communication. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study therefore examines the consistent use of person-first disability terminology (PFDT language) as a predictor of hiring intention. Survey data drawn from seventy-two middle and senior-level managers were analyzed through correlation and hierarchical multiple regression. Measures captured PFDT language, attitudes, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and hiring intention, while demographic and organizational characteristics served as controls. Analysis revealed that the controls contributed little to explain hiring intention. When PFDT language was added, the model accounted for more variance, and the inclusion of attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms further strengthened the predictive power of the model. In the final step, positive attitudes towards inclusive hiring and a sense of control over the recruitment process were the most influential factors, yet PFDT language still made an independent contribution, whereas normative pressures did not. Managers who habitually have respectful attitudes towards people with disability, therefore, appear more inclined to recruit people with disabilities, even after accounting for key psychological drivers. These findings highlight inclusive language as an attainable lever for improving disability-friendly recruitment and suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing managerial attitudes and efficacy beliefs could help close the gap between diversity rhetoric and real-world hiring practices.