Gender-neutral language

• Let’s take a look to understand what it means to use gender-neutral language.

• Then, look at your own writing-

Are you using gender-neutral language?

Definition

• Gender-specific language, or sexist language, is words, phrases, and expressions that unnecessarily differentiate between women and men or exclude, trivialize, or diminish either.

• Gender-neutral language is...

Parks & Roberton (1998), cited in Edwards (2008)

Gender Neutral Language

• Nonsexist language, according to Marilyn Schwartz in Guidelines for Bias-Free Publishing, “refers to language that avoids gender stereotyping.”

• Journalistic writing should treat males and females equally by not only providing equal coverage of males and females but also in using gender-neutral language.

Examples

• men/guys• he/him/his• Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms• he or she

• manmade• chairman/layman• lady doctor/male nurse• office girls/family man

Past

St Hildegarde of Bingen, 11th centuryattempted to construct non-sexist alternative

The Revolution, 1868-1871 paid attention to sexist language

Simone de Beauviour, 1952 challenged of generic use of man

Penelope (1990); Rakow & Kramarae (1990), cited in Weatherall (2002)

Language equality

• Prescriptivism (prescribed by society)Linguistic practices and preferences are based on society elites, rather than any natural or objective notion of correctness.

• DescriptivismDifferent language varieties are equal in linguistic terms, and it is wrong to label some varieties as inferior.

Cameron (1995); Mesthrie, Swann, Deumert, & Leap (2000)

Mackay (1979); Crawford & English (1984); Mackay & Fulkerson (1979), Mouton, Robinson & Elias (1978), Cole, Hill & Dayley (1983); Schneider & Haker (1973), Briere & Lanktree (1983), Murdock & Forsyth (1985); Falk & Mills (1996), cited in Weatherall (2002); Bem & Bem (1973); Johnson & Dowling-Guyer (1996); Cameron (1994); Fergusson (2004)

Coats (1993); Crawford (1995); Graddol & Swann (1989); Holmes (1994); Tannen (1990)

Communication styles

Tannen (1990)

Management styles

Gender-specific Gender-neutralWhat other words can you think of to replace the list on the

left?

• poet/poetess• hero/heroine• manager/manageress• governor/governess• chairman• freshman• layman• salesman

• poet• • manager• • • • •

• poet/poetess• hero/heroine• manager/manageress• governor/governess• chairman• freshman• layman• salesman

• poet• hero• manager• governor• chair• first-year student• layperson• salesperson

Gender-specific Gender-neutral

Titles

Questionable• Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms

• Dear Sir/Madam

Acceptable• Mr, Ms

• To whom it may concern

• Dear householder• Dear customer

Women

Questionable• girl• lady

• man and wife

Acceptable• women• women

• husband and wife

What words can you think of to replace the list on the left?

• man• mankind• guys

• he• him• his

• • •

• • •

• man• mankind• guys

• he• him• his

• people, human• humanity• y’all, yous

• they• them• their

Word order

• he or she, he/she, s/he• his or her, him or her

• men and women• sons and daughters• ladies and gentlemen

Irrelevant differences

The student needs to submit his materials by…

The student needs to submit his or her materials by…

The lecturer needs to submit all materials by…

Students need to submit their materials by…

Someone phoned, but he didn’t leave his number.

Someone phoned, but he or she didn’t leave his or her number.

Someone phoned, but didn’t leave a number.

Someone phoned, but they didn’t leave their number.

Irrelevant differences

Using gender-neutral language means eliminating any potential bias in writing.

A.TrueB.False

Using gender-neutral language means eliminating any potential bias in writing.

A.TrueB.False

Now, look at your own writing. Do you see any changes that need to be made to make your writing gender-neutral?

ReferencesCameron, D. (Ed.). (1994). Non-sexist communication: guidelines for staff and students. Strathclyde:

Public Relations Service, University of Strathclyde.Cameron, D. (1995). Rethinking language and gender studies: some issues from the 1990’s, in S Mills

(Ed.), Language and gender: interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 31-44). Harlow: Longman.Cameron, D. (2005). Language, gender, and sexuality: Current issues and new directions. Applied

Linguistics, 26 (4), 482-502.Coats, J. (1993). Women, men and language. Harlow: Longman.Crawford, M. (1995). Talking difference: On gender and language. London: Sage Publications.Edwards, A. (2008). Non-sexist language reform in ESL institutions. Maastricht: Maastricht University.Fergusson, C. (2004). Sexist language persists in the ESL classroom. English teaching forum, 42(1), 36-42. Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink. London: Penguin.Graddol, D., & Swann, J. (1989). Gender voices. Oxford: Blackwell.Hart, J. (2007). BC. Retrieved on May 12, 2009 from http://johnhartstudios.com.Holmes, J. (1994). Improving the lot of female language learners, in J Sunderland (Ed.), Exploring gender:

Questions and implications for English language education. London: Prentice Hall.Johnson, M., & Dowling-Guyer, S. (1996). Effects of inclusive vs. Exclusive language on evaluations of

counsellor. Sex Roles, 34(5), 407-418.

ReferencesKennedy, J. (1961, January 20). Inaugural address. Retrieved on May 13, 2009 from

http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html.King, M. (1963, May 13). I have a dream. Retrieved on May 13, 2009 from

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm.Levi-Strauss, C. (1974). Structural Anthropology. New York: Basic Books.Mesthrie, R., Swann, J., Deumert, A., & Leap, W. (2000). Introducing sociolinguistics. Edinburgh:

Edinburgh University Press.Obama, B. (2009, January 20). Inaugural address. Retrieved on May 13, 2009 from

http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres68.html.Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct. New York: Harper Perennial.Sankoff, G. (1986). Social life of language. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.Spender, D. (1990). Man made language. London: Routledge & Kegan.Tannen, D. (1990). You just don’t understand. New York: Morrow.VSNU. (2003). Collective labour agreement (CAO). The Hague: Stichting SoFoKleS.VSNU. (2008). Collective labour agreement (CAO). The Hague: Stichting SoFoKleS.Weatherall, A. (2002). Gender, language and discourse. London: Routledge.