Society is changing, and language is changing with it. With today’s increased focus on gender equality, organizations and businesses are increasingly investing in gender-inclusive language. But what does gender-inclusive language look like in practice? And what can your company do to implement gender-inclusive language in your communication?
According to the United Nations, using gender-inclusive language means, ‘speaking and writing in a way that does not discriminate against a particular sex, social gender or gender identity, and does not perpetuate gender stereotypes.’
What does gender-inclusive language look like?
Gender-inclusive language can take many forms and looks different in every language. Here are a few strategies to make your communication gender-inclusive:
1. Use plural pronouns
In the past, it was not uncommon to use male pronouns to refer to a person of unknown gender. To avoid this male pronoun default and the awkward use of ‘he or she’, some languages allow to use the plural form.
Don’t say: Each student must complete his homework.
Don’t say: Each student must complete his or her homework.
But say: All students must complete their homework.
But sometimes, using the plural form just doesn’t make sense. In that case the use of ‘they’ as a generic third-person singular pronoun has become more common in English, because it is inclusive of all people and helps writers avoid making assumptions about gender.
Don’t say: Everyone has to bring his or her own drinks to the party.
But say: Everyone has to bring their own drinks to the party.
2. Adopt gender-neutral words
To avoid gender stereotypes, we also advise against the use of gender-specific terms or the generic use of ‘man’. Usually, good alternatives are available, for example in English you can say ‘police officer’ instead of ‘policeman’ and ‘working hours’ instead of ‘man hours.’
In other languages, like German for example, you can use a participle instead of a noun to remove gender bias: Studierende instead of Studenten und Studentinnen.
3. Omit the gendered word
Sometimes it’s even possible to omit the gendered word altogether. In English for instance, pronouns can often be dropped from a sentence without changing the meaning.
Don’t say: We requested the coordinator to continue his/her efforts to strengthen the coordination of humanitarian assistance.
But say: We requested the coordinator to continue efforts to strengthen the coordination of humanitarian assistance.
Introducing an ing-form in English can also serve as a helpful trick to omit a gendered pronoun.
Don’t say: A person must reside in the country for 20 years before he may apply for permanent residence.
But say: A person must reside in the country for 20 years before applying for permanent residence.
Another way is to stress the object instead of the person carrying out the action. A German example: Fahrrad schieben! instead of Radfahrer absteigen!
4. Use the passive voice
The passive voice may not always be the most stylistic option, but it can serve as a useful alternative for gendered constructions.
Don’t say: The author must have reliable evidence of the situation he is describing.
But say: The author must have reliable evidence of the situation being described.
5. Address the reader directly
Finally, addressing the reader directly also allows to omit gendered words.
Don’t say: Als Administrator müssen Sie sicherstellen, dass in regelmäßigen Abständen die Daten gesichert werden.
But say: Sichern Sie in regelmäßigen Abständen die Daten. Dazu benötigen Sie Administrationsrechte.
How to implement gender-inclusive language in your organization
The above examples show that gender-inclusive language is not only useful to avoid the distinction between male and female, but also to include people who identify as neither male nor female. When it comes to gender equality, corporations cannot stand on the sideline. Every business has its role in society and every business has customers, partners and employees to address.
It’s clear that it’s not only society that affects language, but language also affects society. Using gender-inclusive language makes a big difference in a corporate context. It makes everyone feel welcome, it sets an example, and it clarifies for everyone who is dealing with the company that equality and diversity matter.
That being said, how do you implement gender-inclusive language in your organization?
1. Part of a bigger picture
Gender-inclusive language should fit into a company-wide effort to make the workplace more inclusive. Company leaders should set an example by communicating to their stakeholders in a gender-inclusive manner, and as a result, let their influence trickle down from the top. Diversity manifests itself in the way people are treated on the work floor, in the way people are recruited, and in the way a company communicates with its stakeholders.
2. Update your policies and style guides
Gender-inclusive language can be confusing and may even be met with some resistance at first. That’s why it’s a good idea to integrate a gender-inclusive language section in your company policies and style guides. Tell your stakeholders why you want to communicate in this way and explain that the goal of adopting gender-inclusive language is to make everyone feel welcome. Show examples of how language can be adapted to make it more inclusive.
3. Gender-inclusive technical writing and translation
Technical documentation is crucial for a smooth customer experience. Typically, we want to be as accurate as possible in technical documentation. At the same time, we don’t want to exclude any of our readers. That’s why the use of gender-inclusive language is important for technical writers as well.
An additional challenge comes with the translation of technical documentation. Translators will need to take into account that not every language is as easily adaptable to a gender-inclusive version, and that some languages will require more creativity to make it work. English has the advantage of being a ‘genderless’ language as it doesn’t have grammatical genders. For example, ‘teacher’ can refer to any gender. In gendered languages, like French or German for example, nouns have a marked gender (consider the French professeur/professeure or the German Lehrer/Lehrerin). Here, translators may sometimes need to rewrite sentences to avoid using the gender altogether.
How can we help?
Language affects how we see the world. It shapes our vision and it empowers people to feel welcome. What better way to let our employees, customers and partners know that we care about diversity and equality than to pay attention to the language we use every day?
Adapting your company language and documentation to a gender-inclusive reality is something we can support you with. At Yamagata Europe, our writers and translators follow the guidelines for gender-inclusive language published by the United Nations and the European Parliament and are trained to come up with accurate and creative solutions to avoid discrimination in the texts they deliver.
Do you have questions about implementing gender-inclusive language in your organization?
