Gender-Sensitive Language

The two guiding principles of gender-inclusive language are:

1. Equal Representation

Gender-inclusive language aims at representing people of all sexes and gender identities respectfully and on equal terms. The practice of gender-inclusive language originated as an attempt to redress the systematic erasure of women from public discourse and historiography. By highlighting the presence and achievements of women and by challenging male-centred forms of language, feminists strove to disrupt traditional gender roles and to write women into history.

More recent approaches to gender-inclusive language also acknowledge gender diversity between and beyond the »male-female« binary. Consequently, they seek not only to make visible the presence and social contributions of women, but of non-binary, trans, and intersex people (and those with other gender identities) as well.

2. Anti-Discrimination

Language creates realities. Language is not merely a passive reflection of our world; the way we speak and write can also actively re/produce unconscious biases and forms of social exclusion. For instance, when we default to »man« or »man«-compounds in generalizing statements about groups (e.g. »the achievements of mankind« ), we not only erase the presence or contributions of women or non-binary people; we also reaffirm the unconscious bias that men are intellectually, morally, and physically superior. Besides reproducing sexist stereotypes or prejudices, gendered expressions or figures of speech may also carry with them heteronormative or otherwise discriminatory notions about how people should behave based on their (perceived) sex/gender (e.g. »Paul throws like a girl«). Moreover, many gendered formulations, such as the common salutation »Ladies and Gentlemen«, work from the normalized assumption that all of humanity can be neatly separated into the binary categories of »women« and »men«.

It is important to remember that language is always evolving. New words or phrases are constantly entering our vocabulary and old ones fall into disuse. We also have the ability to create new forms of language or use language in creative ways to actively counter discrimination or exclusion and to make space for populations that have previously been rendered invisible. Consequently, practicing gender-inclusive language is not just a symbolic gesture showing one’s commitment to gender equality; it is also a concrete tool for raising public awareness, shifting people’s perceptions, and changing individual attitudes. In this way, gender-inclusive language contributes to the ongoing fight for the equality of all sexes and genders.  

There are different ways to be inclusive in your written and spoken communications. One way is to make visible the presence and contributions of women, non-binary, trans, or intersex people (or people with other gender identities) by explicitly naming these social actors instead of disappearing them in male-centric expressions or formulations.

In many contexts, however, gender is irrelevant for the purposes of communication. In such cases, we recommend using gender-neutral language—i.e., words or phrases that neither privilege nor exclude any one gender. Besides readily including people of all genders, gender-neutral wording has the additional advantage of keeping sentences clear and concise.

Similarly, in cases where the gender identity is unknown, we recommend using gender-neutral expressions so as not to misgender individuals or erase the presence of any one gendered group (for more information, see "Using gender-neutral language").

1. Don’t assume people’s gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status

Sex/gender plays an important part in structuring our everyday interactions with each other, including how we address one another. However, contrary to popular belief, a person’s gender identity does not always correspond with their sex. Moreover, there are more than two sexes and genders. Please be mindful of sex and gender diversity when engaging with students, teachers, and staff at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar so as not to misgender individuals or erase non-binary, trans, or intersex people from the conversation. Please also be aware that it is not always possible to tell a person’s gender identity (or sexual orientation) by their name or by the way they talk, move, or dress.

An easy way to avoid misgendering people in your class, seminar, or workshop is to ask all participants at the beginning of the session to introduce themselves with their preferred name and pronouns. In larger classes, a good alternative is to pass around a name-list with a field for preferred pronouns. In smaller-sized group-sessions, you may want to have students create name/pronoun tags.

Romantic or sexual relationships may come up in various social situations. If you are unsure of someone’s gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status, we recommend using neutral expressions like »partner(s)« or »significant other(s)« to address or discuss people’s relationship status. On event-invitations, for example, you could use formulations such as: »Guests are cordially invited to attend with their partners« (instead of: »Guests are cordially invited to attend with their wives/spouses«).

2. Courtesy titles

Courtesy titles such as »Miss« and »Mrs.« carry with them old-fashioned and at times outdated assumptions about age, gender identity, sexual orientation, or marital status. Traditionally, »Miss« and »Mrs.« have been used to distinguish between unmarried and married women respectively. Until recently, this distinction according to marital status not only defined women by their relationships with men, but also with men only. The title »Miss« was commonly used for younger women. A simple alternative when addressing or referring to women is the title »Ms.«.

Another alternative is to use the gender-neutral »Mx.«. This title, which was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015, is used to avoid specifying gender. Some non-binary people prefer this title as a mode of address as well.

Yet another option is gender-neutral academic titles, such as »Prof.« or »Dr.« (where appropriate).

3. E-mail or written correspondence

3.1 Salutation for an unknown recipient or a form letter

In cases where the recipients’ names, gender identities, or preferred modes of address are unknown, we recommend using gender-neutral forms of address. Instead of gendered salutations like »Dear Sir/Madam«, »Ladies and Gentlemen«, or »Dear Boys and Girls«, you can use gender-neutral formulations like »Dear Representative of Organization XYZ«, »Dear Friends and Colleagues«, or »Dear Students«.  

3.2 Salutation for a specific recipient

In cases where you know a person’s name but not their gender identity, you can use the formula: »salutation + academic title (where appropriate) + the addressee’s full name (given name/s or initials + last name)«, as in »Dear Prof. Ali Mohammad Saleh«.

3.3 E-mail signature

You can indicate your preferred pronouns in your e-mail signature. Simply add them in parentheses after your Name.

Examples:

Best regards,
Prof. Sanchita Banerjee, PhD
(Pronouns: she, her, hers)                                     

Sincerely,
Dr. Michel*le Foucault
(they, them, theirs)

Indicating your preferred pronouns in e-mail communication not only helps others to avoid misgendering you; it can also communicate to others that you are aware of the fact that there are more than two sexes/genders. This information might make it easier for trans, intersex, and non-binary people to share their gender identities and preferred pronouns. Moreover, by adding your personal pronouns to your e-mail signature, you can help to normalize this practice and contribute to raising awareness for non-binary gender identities.

3.4 Mailing address                                                                         

Omit gendered courtesy titles (»Mr.«, »Mrs.«, »Miss«, »Ms.«) when adding an address to the letterhead or envelopes: Simply state the person’s full name, followed by their address.

1. Nouns

1.1 Gendered nouns and binary group-descriptions

Try to find gender-neutral alternatives to gendered nouns. Avoid binary constructions when talking about or addressing groups of people so as not to erase or exclude non-binary individuals.

1.2 Generic »man« and »man«-compounds

Refrain from defaulting to »man«-compounds (i.e., composite words containing »man« either as a prefix or a suffix) or »man« as a generic descriptor when generalizing about groups of people or their attributes (as in »All men are created equal«).

1.3 Occupational titles and gender stereotypes

The aforementioned issue of defaulting to male-centered descriptors is typical when it comes to job titles, particularly when talking about occupational fields that have traditionally been reserved for men (e.g. »Being a policeman is a particularly tough job«). Similarly, in jobs that have traditionally been reserved for women, many people habitually use female-centred job descriptors (e.g. »The theatre’s seamstresses produced 500 costumes for this production«). To avoid reproducing gendered stereotypes about who can perform certain tasks or hold certain positions, we recommend using gender-neutral job descriptors.

Occasionally, speakers/writers will modify an otherwise neutral job title or position to highlight the subject’s gender. This generally happens in cases where the subject’s gender contradicts conventional expectations as to who performs certain tasks or holds certain positions. Unless the gender of the person performing a particular task or holding a particular position is relevant to the discussion, you should avoid specifying their gender (Here is an example where the professional’s gender is relevant to the meaning of the sentence: »Carol preferred to talk to a female police officer about her experiences of domestic violence«).

2. Pronouns

2.1 Use »they« as a singular pronoun

The pronoun »they« (»them«/ »their«/ »theirs«/ »themselves«) is most often used to refer to a plural subject. It has become increasingly common, especially in spoken language, to also use »they« to refer to a singular subject. While some individuals or institutions may still object to the use of »they« as a third person singular pronoun in formal writing, it is worth noting that singular »they« has been in use since at least the 14th century and has been added to various English language dictionaries (e.g., the Oxford English Dictionary).

The singular »they« (»them«/ »their«/ »theirs«/ »themselves«) is used in cases where the gender of the singular subject is unknown, irrelevant, variable, non-binary, or in cases where gender needs to be concealed.

Examples:

»Someone’s at the door for you« – »What do they want?«

»If a client wants to file a complaint, they can do so online«

»This is Finn. They identify as non-binary, and this is their cat, Rachel« [1]

»Who is the state attorney’s witness?« – »I’m not allowed to disclose their name« 

[1] Be aware that not all non-binary people prefer »they« as their personal pronoun. If in doubt, ask.

2.2 Use a plural antecedent

In many cases, using the plural-form of nouns and pronouns is an excellent option for avoiding gendered language without causing any confusion or losing any meaning:

Example:

»Children who lose their favourite toy are usually very sad«

Instead of:
»A child who loses [his/her/their] favourite toy is usually very sad«
  

2.3 Eliminate the pronoun

(a) Omit any pronoun

Example:

»A doctor is obliged to treat an emergency patient, even when office hours are officially over«

Instead of:
»A doctor is obliged to treat an emergency patient, even when [his/her/their] hours have officially ended«

(b) Replace a possessive pronoun with an article

Example:

»Each candidate must send the application to the board of directors«

Instead of:
»Each candidate must send [his/her/their] application to the board of directors«