Stereotypes in language

Gender stereotypes involve assigning gender when gender is unknown or irrelevant. These stereotypes are harmful to those subject to them and perpetuate false narratives about stereotypes. Stereotypes about gender often take one of two forms. One assumes all members of a category (such as a profession) share a gender, for example, the assumption that all company directors are men and all secretaries are women. The other is assuming that all members of a gender share a characteristic, for example, believing that all women love to shop or that “boys don’t cry”. 

These stereotypes hurt people of all genders by placing expectations on what people should be. 

Disclaimer: This article focuses on English. Similar stereotypes might be present in your own language as well. Let us know how and we are happy to create articles for different languages as well. 

Where can you come across gender stereotypes in language? 

• By using gendered pronouns (i.e. “… he will catch the disc” - if it is a general explanation) 
• Adding irrelevant information about gender in a description of an individual. 
• Assigning gender to inanimate objects (for example, “man defence”) 
• Using gender stereotypes to describe objects, activities or events. 
• Describing people of different genders using different adjectives (descriptive words). 
• Perpetuating stereotypes in non-verbal communication, such as images and symbols. 

How to avoid stereotypes? 

• Professions and occupations are often subject to gender stereotypes. Take special care to avoid stereotypes when talking about people’s occupations! 
• Avoid gendered pronouns (he or she) when the person’s gender is unknown
• Do not rely on “he/him/man” when talking about an individual in the abstract – this excludes women and non-binary people from the conversation. 

Examples

• Example 1
  • Gender-insensitive language: “The number of years an electrician will spend training depends on what country he is from. “
  • Gender-neutral language: “The number of years an electrician will spend training depends on what country they are from.”

• Example 2 
  • Gender-insensitive language: “Every nurse should take care of her own uniform and cover the expenses herself.“
  • Gender-sensitive language: “Every nurse should take care of his or her own uniform and cover the expenses themselves.” 

Avoid irrelevant information about gender 

• Example 3
• Gender-insensitive language: “Chairman Moni Patel works closely with the chairman of the player's committee Matthieu Dubios to plan events.”
• Gender-neutral language “The chair Moni Patel works closely with the chair of the player’s committee Matthieu Dubois to plan events.” 

• Example 4 
  • Gender-insensitive language: “Priti is a career woman”
  • Gender-sensitive language: “Priti is career-focused.” 

Avoid gendered stereotypes as descriptive terms 

• Example 5
  • Gender-insensitive language: “You throw like a girl.“*
  • Gender-sensitive language: “You do not throw well.”

*This is the implied usage of the phrase ‘like a girl’ in English to do something badly or in a silly or weak manner. Some campaigners are trying to  reclaim this phrase to show the positive side of being ‘like a girl!’.

• Example 6 
  • Gender-insensitive language: “The team taking part in the charity obstacle course who were scared of the cold water had to man up and dive in at the first obstacle.”
  • Gender-neutral language: “The team taking part in the charity obstacle course who were scared of the cold water had to be tough and dive in at the first obstacle.” 

Using different terms for women and men

Semantic non-equivalence 

These are words in English that are supposed to be equivalent, but actually, the female versions of the words have gained negative connotations  over the years. You should think carefully about the connotations of words before using them. 

For example, consider: 

• governor - governess 
• master - mistress 
• patron - matron 
• sir - madam 
• bachelor - spinster 
• host - hostess 

Adjectives with gender connotations to avoid

Avoid using stereotypical images 

We communicate ideas about the world not only through language but also through the images we choose to use. A piece of communication is  gender-discriminatory if the people within the images are only depicted in stereotypical ways (i.e. female homemakers, male builders). 

Ensure that the images you use in your communication material do not reinforce gender stereotypes by including a broad mix of people in  different environments. 

See also: Avoid using stereotypical images | European Institute for Gender Equality

Invisibility and omission in language 

Invisibility and omission in language occur when the male version is used as the generic norm and, as a result, keeps women from being  visible in public life. 

The following sections address the invisibility and omission of women in communication and propose ways to acknowledge and promote their  visibility and inclusion actively: 

• Do not use 'man' as the neutral term 
• Do not use 'he' to refer to unknown people 
• Do not use gender-biassed nouns to refer to groups of people 
• Take care with 'false generics' 
• Greetings and other forms of inclusive communication 

Examples of situations where women may be subject to invisibility or omission and alternatives to use:

See also: Gendered pronouns and alternatives | European Institute for Gender Equality 

How to avoid invisibility and omission? 

Do not use ‘man’ as the neutral term 

• Example 1 
  • Gender-discriminatory language: “Under the law, all men are equal.”
  • Gender-neutral language: “Under the law, all people are equal.”
  • Gender-sensitive language: “Under the law, all women and men are equal.”

• Example 2 
  • Gender-discriminatory language: “We play man-defence”
  • Gender-neutral language: “We play match defence”
  • Gender-sensitive language: “We play women's defence (in the women’s division)“

Do not use ‘he’ to refer to unknown people 

• Example 3 
  • Gender-discriminatory language: “Each player is responsible for his calls.”
  • Gender-neutral language: “Each player is responsible for their call.”
  • Gender-sensitive language: “Each player is responsible for his or her call.”

Do not use gender-biassed nouns to refer to groups of people 

• Example 4
  • Gender-discriminatory language: “Manmade fabrics can actually require less manpower to produce than natural fabrics.”
  • Gender-neutral language: “Synthetic fabrics can actually require fewer human resources to produce than natural fabrics.” 

• Example 5
  • Gender-discriminatory language: “The forefathers of today’s villagers used the same methods for catching fish as today’s villagers.”
  • Gender-neutral language: “The ancestors of today’s villagers used the same methods for catching fish as today’s villagers.”

Avoid false generics

• Example 6
  • Gender-neutral language: “In 2014, 14% of people aged 18-65 stated that they had experienced sexual violence in the previous year.”
  • Gender-sensitive language: “In 2014, 23% of women and 5% of men aged 18-65 stated that they had experienced sexual violence in the previous year.” 

Subordination and trivialisation in language 

Subordination and trivialisation in language occur when one gender, often women, is painted as inferior or is belittled.

Trivialisation 

Trivialisation is any language which makes something seem unimportant and is closely related to subordination. Often things pertaining to  women are trivialised through language that makes something sound ‘small’ or ‘cute’. This may appear benign but can have the effect of  reinforcing women’s subordinate place in society. 

One example of trivialisation is the addition of diminutive affixes to denote that the referent is female. Gender-sensitive writers should avoid these  expressions as they can trivialise women. 

• Example 1
  • Gender-discriminatory language: “The actress waved to the audience as she came on stage.” 
  • Gender-sensitive language: “The actor waved to the audience as she came on stage.” 

Patronising language 

As well as avoiding obvious gender insults, you should avoid patronising women using more innocuous terms. 

How to avoid subordination and trivialisation:

• Avoid using language that refers to people unknown to you in terms of endearment (‘My dear’, ‘Darling’, ‘Love’, and ‘Dear’ when used in speech) as it is patronising and condescending. These forms should not be used unless the interlocutor has a close relationship with  the speaker. 
• Do not refer to adult women as ‘girls’. This is patronising  and promotes trivialisation, and therefore it should be avoided. Additionally, sometimes the word ‘woman’ is used dismissively, e.g. ‘Get out of my way, woman!’ 
• When referring to women, you should use the term ‘Ms’ which does not denote marital status. 
• Always use the same naming conventions for men and women when referencing. 
• You should be aware of the word order of your phrases and make sure that you are not always putting the male version first. 

Relevant Links

• Be aware of the objectification of bodies
• Be aware of mansplaining attitudes during trainings and games
• What is toxic masculinity and how to tackle it
• Witty works