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Diversity in Diction - Equality in
Action

A Guide to the Appropriate Use of Language

2. Sex and Language

Sex discrimination is the differential treatment of people on the basis of sex. Discrimination on such grounds is actionable under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

The Act applies equally to men and women, and any guidance on the issue must do likewise. However, there is a predominance of terminology which excludes or degrades women. We should promote positive images of both women and men internally and externally. This is very difficult if women are excluded by the language used.

Language should reflect the visibility of women both as employees and as service users to ensure that their contribution is recognised and their service needs identified and met. The way we use language often gives an impression that women do not exist.

Gender Neutral Language

The English language appears to have evolved on the assumption that the world is male. We refer to 'the man in the street', or 'manning the phones', and talk about the 'tax man', 'layman's terms', 'as every schoolboy knows' and so on. Our laws refer to the male gender only, as much of our public language has done until recently. This approach can make women and their contribution to society seem invisible.

With a little thought and imagination it is easy to ensure that the language we use is not gender specific. Ensure the female gender is not excluded in any reference to people in general. Use 'he or she' and 'his or her' when referring to no-one in particular. In many cases the text can be rephrased so that it avoids reference to either gender. For example, references to 'he' or 'she' can be avoided by using the plural 'they', 'manning the phones' can be replaced by 'staffing' or 'covering the phones', and 'manpower planning' by 'staff', 'workforce' or 'human resource planning'.

Many job titles or roles which are traditionally identified in male terms have better alternatives which are not specific to either gender.

For example, you should use:

As the number of women in the workplace has increased, an unfortunate convention has developed which adds for example, 'lady', 'woman' or 'female' to the name of a profession. This implies that the rightful owners of the title are male and that a woman in these roles is something of an oddity and needs to be specifically identified. For example:

It is also important that such modifiers are not applied to roles occupied by men, such as:

Simply using the job title is sufficient. If for some reason it is important to identify the gender of the person, following the job title with his or her name will be enough in most cases.

Devaluing Terminology

As with much of language, the terms available to refer to women carry far more overtones and suggestive meanings than those for referring to men. The use of trivialising or degrading expressions is not appropriate.

For example, there are particular issues around the use of 'girl'. Adult females should be referred to as women not girls. There is no set age at which a girl becomes a woman, but a reasonable guide is that after 16 she is no longer a 'girl', but rather a 'young woman'.

However, adult women are often referred to as 'girls' as in 'the girls in the office', for example. Generally no offence will be intended, but we should obviously not refer to adults as if they were children.

The term 'lady' is not universally accepted and should not generally be used. The terms 'love', 'dear' and 'pet' may be considered offensive by some people, especially women, and should not be used Although perhaps intended as terms of endearment, and sometimes a result of regional language differences, they may serve to devalue and / or trivialise women and men.

Forms of Address

The term 'Ms' has been labelled as the invention of the feminist movement. However, there is evidence of its use dating back to the seventeenth century, when 'Miss' was only used to refer to female children. Today, use of 'Ms' by women has become widespread, as a preferred title which does not focus on whether someone is married or not.

However, while many women now use 'Ms', others still use 'Miss' or 'Mrs'. If a woman's preference is known, it is courteous to respect her preference. If it is not known, the simplest solution is to ask.

It is common for first names to be used when addressing women, in circumstances where men would be addressed by their titles. It is important that the same conventions are followed for both genders. Thus we would refer to 'Mr Khan and Ms Taylor' rather than 'Mr Khan and Karen Taylor' and to 'Councillor Peter Jackson and Councillor Susan Jackson' rather than 'Councillor Jackson and Councillor Mrs Jackson'.

A related issue is the salutation used in letters. 'Dear Sir' is often considered appropriate when addressing a person not known to the writer. However, it is discourteous and inconsiderate when the recipient is a woman, because of the implied assumption that her role will be occupied by a man. The solution is simple. 'Dear Sir or Madam' (or vice versa) is in very common usage.

Lifestyle Assumptions

It should not be assumed that anyone is necessarily in a relationship at all, in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex, or that they are married. If a person is known to be married, 'husband' or 'wife' is acceptable. If it is not known whether somebody is married, referring to their 'partner' is a more appropriate alternative.

Neither should it be assumed that women necessarily have caring responsibilities for children, nor indeed that men don't.

Transsexual, Transgendered (Trans)

A transgendered or transsexual person is someone with a condition called 'gender dysphoria', which means the physical sex characteristics they were born with are wrong for them. Most transgendered people wish to live as a member of the gender with which they identify and they are they are entitled to do so by law.

For example, if a person who was born female has had his birth sex reassigned as male, then he must be treated and referred to as a man from the moment that he first indicates that he is intending to start 'transitioning' (i.e. living in what is for him the correct gender). Transitioning may or may not involve hormonal and, or surgical treatment. Note that a transgendered person who does not have hormone therapy or surgery is still fully protected in their new gender under Sex Discrimination law.

It is important that we should behave courteously and sensitively towards anyone undergoing gender reassignment and that our use of language is guided by the wishes of the person concerned.

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