GAD101 Week 8 Part I

• Standards of Gender-Fair Communication

  • Portrayal
  • Representation
  • Stereotyping
  • Language
• Language articulates consciousness

  • As children, we learn to use language to express our basic needs and feelings
• Language articulates consciousness

  • As we grow older, we use language to form our opinions and order our thoughts
• Language reflects culture

  • Cultural meanings and values are verbalized and transmitted through language
• Language reflects culture

  • As a result, language becomes a tool for perpetuating stereotypes
• Language affects socialization

  • We learn the norms of the society or group that we are in, and conform to these norms
• Language affects socialization

  • Children learning a language absorb all the underlying meanings of words
• Language affects socialization

  • Inequalities reflected in language can affect the child’s beliefs and behaviors
• Language reflects culture

  • “Dalagang Pilipina”
• Language affects socialization

  • "Man up" and "Boys don't cry"
• Gender-Based Discrimination

  • Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• Gender-Based Discrimination

  • (CEDAW) - it is any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex, which has the purpose or effect of denying equal exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of human endeavor.
• Elements of Gender-Based Discrimination

  • Action
  • Basis
  • Purpose or Effect
• Elements of Gender-Based Discrimination

  • Action - that distinguishes, excludes or restricts a person
• Elements of Gender-Based Discrimination

  • Basis - The sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation of the person
• Elements of Gender-Based Discrimination

  • Purpose or effect - Person discriminated is denied the equal exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
• Sexism in Language

  • Use of language that devalues members of a sex or gender, and thus fosters gender inequality
• Why is sexism in language considered gender-based discrimination?

  • Renders members of one sex or gender invisible or trivializes them
• Why is sexism in language considered gender-based discrimination?

  • Perpetuates notions of male supremacy
• Why is sexism in language considered gender-based discrimination?

  • Promotes gender role stereotyping
• What are the kinds of sexist language?

  1. Language which excludes members of one sex or gender or renders them invisible
  2. Language that trivializes women, diminishes their stature
  3. Language that disparages and marginalizes women
  4. Language that fosters unequal gender relations
  5. Gender polarization of meanings in the use of adjectives
  6. Lexical Gap
  7. Hidden Assumptions
• Generic “Man”

  • All humanity is subsumed in the terms “man,” “father,” “brother,” “master.”
• Generic “Man”

  THE PROBLEM:

  • Confusion
  • Inequality
  • Othering
• Generic “Man”

  • Confusion - “Man” is often associated with the adult male and it is difficult to distinguish if it is used in the literal sense or in the generic sense.
• Generic “Man”

  • Inequality - It reflects gender inequality because women are never seen in terms of general or representative humanity.
• Generic “Man”

  • Othering - “Man” represents the universe and the human while woman is the “other”.
• "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein
• Avoid using the generic masculine

  ALTERNATIVES:

  • Replace “man” with specific nouns or verbs that say explicitly what you mean (“labor,” “human resources,” “personnel” instead of “manpower”)
• Avoid using the generic masculine

  ALTERNATIVES:

  • Use nouns that encompass both man and woman (“humanity” instead of “mankind”)
• Avoid using the generic masculine

  ALTERNATIVES:

  • In making general statements, add “women” (Example: “Man is vulnerable.” Say “Women and men are vulnerable.” instead.
• Alternatives to the generic masculine

  Current Usage - man

  Alternative - human being, human, person, individual
• Alternatives to the generic masculine

  Current Usage - mankind, men

  Alternative - humankind, humanity, people, human race, society, men and women
• Alternatives to the generic masculine

  Current Usage - man on the street

  Alternative - average person, ordinary person
• Alternatives to the generic masculine

  Current Usage - layman

  Alternative - layperson, non-specialist, non-professional
• Alternatives to the generic masculine

  Current Usage - man-made

  Alternative - synthetic, artificial
• The Generic “He” and “His”

  • THE PROBLEM - There is no gender-neutral singular pronoun in the English language. So by default, “he” and “his” are often used in the generic sense. However, these pronouns, when used to replace generic “man,” pose the same problems.
• "He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning." - Danish Proverb
• "He who knows he has enough is rich." - Lao Tzu
• "He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe." - Marcus Aurelius
• "He who opens a school door, closes a prison." - Victor Hugo