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Sexist language is language that expresses bias in favour of one
sex and thus discriminates against the other. In general this bias
is in favour of men and against women.
In language men are considered the norm for the human species:
their characteristics, actions, thoughts and beliefs are viewed
as truly representative of those associated with humans in general.
This makes women quite invisible in language and leads to their
portrayal as deviations from this 'male=human' norm. By relegating
women to a dependent, subordinate position, sexist language prevents
the portrayal of women and men as different but equal human beings.
Use of Generic pronouns
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In language a word is used generically when it refers to all
the members of a class. Before the nineteenth century the
pronouns 'he', 'he or she' and 'they' (singular) as generic
pronouns, was widespread. For example:
God send everyone their heart's desire. (Shakespeare)
The use of pronouns other than the masculine 'he' was severely
restricted when an act of the British Parliament was passed
that promoted the masculine gender as the generic gender.
More recently the generic character of 'he' has been questioned
and the use of generic 'he' criticised for various reasons.
Research has shown that the pronoun 'he' calls up male imagery
even when it is used as a generic pronoun.
Someone has left his stockings in the bathroom.
Therefore in the interests of clarity as well as of equal
linguistic representation of the sexes, it is recommended
that the generic 'he' be avoided.
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Alternatives
to 'he' and 'his'.
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Alternatives
to using 'man' generically
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In Old English the term man or mann was used in the sense
of human being. The sex-specific term for a female was wif
and for a male was wer and carl. The male-specific terms were
eventually lost, and man became the main word to refer to
an adult male human being, and gradually lost its generic
sense.
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Varying
Word Order
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Men usually precede women in expressions such as 'men and
women', 'his and hers', 'Sir or Madam', etc. Try reversing
the order in these expressions: 'women and men', hers and
his', 'her and him', 'she and he', 'Madam or Sir', and so
on. Alternate the word order in such expressions throughout
a document or verbal presentation.
Naming practices, salutations, titles and other modes of
address
Inappropriate naming practices create the impression that
women merit less respect or less serious consideration than
do men.
In order to ensure the linguistic equality of women and men
it is important that titles, naming practices and other modes
of address for men and women be used in a parallel manner.
When describing a couple (woman and man), treat both partners
as equals. If mentioning women and men together do not always
list the man first; try instead to alternate the order in
which men and women are described.
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Appropriate
use of Ms, Mrs, Miss, Mr
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Use of the title "Mr" before a person's name merely identifies
that person as a man. The titles "Mrs" and "Miss", however,
not only identify the person addressed as a woman, but also
make known her marital status. The title "Ms" avoids the link
with marital status. It is recommended for use for all women
when the parallel 'Mr' is applicable, unless the individual
indicates otherwise.
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Patronising Expressions
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Avoid language that trivialises or denigrates women or women's
activities, or that portrays one sex as superior to another.
Members of both sexes should be represented as whole human
beings and treated with the same dignity, respect and seriousness.
Use the words woman/ man, boy/girl, lady/gentleman in a parallel
manner. Referring to adult women as 'girls' in a context where
adult males are described as men' is inappropriate.
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Avoid demeaning terms like 'bird' or 'chick'.
Avoid using endearments such as 'luv', 'dearie' for women
(or men) who are unknown to you or in situations that do not
call for intimacy. For example, 'Madam' or 'Sir' can sometimes
be substituted if the person addressed is unknown.
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Sex-role
Stereotyping
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Avoid language that stereotypes.
"Academics have families to support" not
"Academics have wives and children to support"
If women and men have similar characters and patterns of
behaviour, parallel language should be used to describe them.
Avoid stereotyped generalisations.
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Compliments
and put-downs
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Many so-called compliments to women are likely to be seen
as put-downs.
Examples include:
You think just like a man
You're pretty smart for a woman.
You're beautiful when you're angry.
You're very feminine for a career woman.
Expression such as 'the weaker sex', the fairer sex', he
acted like an old woman', and 'old wives tale' should be avoided
because they are belittling and insulting to women.
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Sexist
Humour
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Good humour is witty, not demeaning. Humour used to trivialise
gender issues is sexist and devalues their importance. Increasingly
women and men find such humour tasteless and unacceptable.
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Quoting
sexist material
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If it is considered essential to use a specific quotation
in which a discriminatory expression occurs, the word sic,
in enclosed brackets can be inserted immediately after the
expression in question.
If the sense of a particular passage containing the discriminatory
language can be adequately conveyed in different words, and
if it is not essential to reproduce the original wording,
the passage can be paraphrased in such a way that the offending
language is avoided.
If an author finds a quotation deeply offensive because of
the discriminatory language it contains, it may be best to
omit it altogether.
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Representation
of women and men in illustrations
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In selecting visual materials and illustrations care should
be taken that both men and women are represented and that
people should be shown in a variety of roles. Stereotyped
protrayal of the sexes should be avoided.
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