Our everyday communications emerge
from a sociocultural history—a history which almost always comes steeped in
oppression.
Our communications are
haunted by the phantoms of an overtly sexist past. These phantoms continue to
haunt our vocabulary: we often unconsciously use gender-biased language in our
daily encounters, demonstrating how difficult it is to shake off the remains of
sexism.
What’s in a word? Words can empower or disempower. Many of the
gender-biased words that circulate in our daily communications identify certain
positions/roles as male or female, perpetuating the stereotypes that many have
fought to dismantle.
Many of us commit the
following gender-biased mistakes:
Qualifying the female/male gender
for traditionally male/female occupations. This happens when highlighting people’s genders in reference to their
professions: ie. a male nurse, a female machinist, etc.
Using gendered job titles.
Titles such as “stewardess” or “fireman”
perpetuate the genders traditionally associated with these professions,
impeding the development of gender equality in these fields. However, gender neutral
terms, such as “flight attendant” or “firefighter” promote inclusivity.
Language is never neutral. We
must be conscious of our words and the power they have to hurt, to heal, and to
empower.
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