Gendered Language: Tips for Inclusive Writing
This blog post was written by editor Jessica Kate Brown.
It’s very rare that someone intentionally goes out to exclude someone through their writing, and most people don’t mean to throw in sexist stereotypes when they’re writing a book. And yet it happens every day. . . . Why is this? And more importantly, what can we do about it?
Well, first off, if you have ever unwittingly used a gendered turn of phrase or stereotype, don’t be too hard on yourself. We have spent most of our lives hearing and seeing language used a certain way, so much so that it often just feels normal. Getting your brain to unlearn words that we have used since we could understand language is not going to happen overnight. However, making a conscious effort to raise your own awareness is a really great step in the right direction.
Your Responsibility as a Writer
When you write for someone else, you are adding to the subconscious bank inside your reader’s head that tells them what is normal and expected in society. The more we hear (or in this case, read) something, the more naturalized it becomes in our psyche. A classic example is when gendered descriptors are used when referring to job roles. For example, a “female surgeon” and a “male nurse,” signaling that it’s actually not the norm—that those roles belong to members of the opposite sex. After all, when have you ever heard someone say “male surgeon” or “female nurse”?
Going Gender Neutral
A good practice is to ask yourself, Would I be mentioning that if I was talking about a man (or woman)? If the answer is no, and it’s not relevant, then consider whether you could use a gender-neutral alternative instead.
Here are some other ways you can make your writing more inclusive:
Avoid clichés like “He throws like a girl” or “You need to man up.”
Make sure men and women are addressed with the same level of formality and status (e.g., avoid writing things like “Mr. Smith and his wife, Amanda”).
Avoid referring to inanimate objects that you control as “she.” (I often see this when people are writing about cars, ships, planes, and countries.)
Swap out gender-biased words for more inclusive alternatives. For example:
master—expert
mankind—humanity
manpower—staffing
man-made—synthetic
spokesman—representative
MS Word’s Editor function is good at picking these up, so make sure you have the Inclusiveness check switched on!
A Final Thought
These, of course, are just guidelines, and it’s not to say you can’t ever use gendered language in your writing. Context is crucial, and a good editor will be able to work with you to make sure you’re making informed and sensitive decisions about your language choices.
If you’d like to learn more about inclusive language, here are some great resources:
UNITED NATIONS Gender-inclusive language
GNL_Guidelines_EN.pdf (europa.eu)
Born and bred in the UK, Jessica Kate Brown is a nonfiction editor and inclusive language advocate, currently studying for an MA in applied English with a focused interest in feminist linguistics. When she’s not editing self-help books and memoirs, she can mostly be found chasing her small children around soft play or reading a good historical fiction book with a blanket and a (large) glass of malbec!