GENDER- 1 | Gender and Society

FAIR

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:
A. Identify the ways language discriminates against women;
B. State form of discrimination in language and
C. Explain how gender-fair language can be realized.

Language & Gender

Relation
Language is a potent tool for how
humans understand and participate in the world.
It can shape how we see society. It is a part of
culture. In this regard, language is not a neutral
force; it enforces certain ideas about people
including gender.
Many gendered assumptions are present
when it comes to language. Language defines
men and women differently as seen in common
adjectives associated with these genders.
Unequal relations can stem from statements that
trivialize one gender’s experience or perpetuate
one gender’s supremacy. It evaluates gender, in
so much as language trivializes or devalues
certain characteristics.
The three aspects of language that informs how
gender is shaped.
1. Language articulates consciousness
2. Reflects culture
3. Affects socialization

VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE

Sexist Language is a tool that reinforces unequal gender relations through sex-role stereotypes,
microaggressions, and sexual harassment. Language can be used to abuse such as in the case of sexual
harassment, or to perpetuate stereotypes. It can form subtle messages that reinforce unfair relations, such as
how “men cannot take care of children” or “women cannot be engineers” which may impact how one views
his or her capabilities. Language is a powerful force that plays a significant role in how one perceives the
world.

INVISIBILIZATION
The invisibilization is rooted in the assumption that men are dominant and are the norm of the fullness
of humanity, and women do not exist. Some examples of invisibilization in language are:
 The generic use of masculine pronouns or the use of masculine general.
 The assumption that certain functions or jobs as performed by men instead of both genders.
 The use of male job titles or terms ending in man to refer to functions that may be given to both
genders.

TRIVIALIZATION OF WOMEN
 Bringing attention to the gender of a person, if that person is a woman.
 The perception of women as immature.
 The objectification, or likening to objects, of women.

FOSTERING UNEQUAL GENDER RELATIONS

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 Language that lacks parallelism fosters unequal gender relations. The use of “man and wife” assumes
that men are still men and women’s identities are subsumed and shifted into beings in relation to their
husbands.

GENDER POLARIZATION OF WORDS IN USE OF ADJECTIVE

The personal care brand Dove came out with an advertisement that used parallel adjectives to show the
difference in perception regarding men and women. Both men and women did the same activity, but were
described differently. In the ad, men who took the lead were considered the “boss” while women who had the
same initiative were considered as “bossy”. Men who worked overtime were seen as providers while women
who did the same were seen as uncaring. This polarization of adjectives shows how perception does change
how one sees certain acts, depending on who performs them.
HIDDEN ASSUMPTIONS
Hidden assumptions in sentences can also be forms of microaggression if the underlying perceptions
are sexist and degrading. For example, this statement “The father is babysitting his children, “assumes that the
father is not a caregiver, and that any attempt he has at parenting is temporary as the mother is the main
caregiver.

SAMPLE CASE:
Aaron mentioned that his friends from his all-boys high school would often used the word “bakla”
as an insult. They would also use bakla to describe someone who lost at games or was weak at sports, He
stopped doing this on college. He shared that he already ‘grew up’, and stopped using terms like bakla as
insults because he knows that doing so may hurt someone who is actually gay. Perhaps, Aaron sees gender
sensitivity in language as a sign of maturity.

Philippine Culture and Language

Filipino or Tagalog is mainly gender-neutral, without gendered characteristics or title for men and
women. Words that are gendered came from another culture, which were adopted after 400 years of
colonization. The values and the shaping of education system were influenced by Western powers and ideals.
Filipinos portray a mix of identities, an infusion of both native and foreign perspectives and values.

Identities and Naming Things

 Language is used to define what is feminine, masculine, and outside feminine of masculine.
 It is a tool for understanding the world as well as for naming and describing people and things.
 Language gives a person the power to define oneself and the external world and one’s place in it.
 It provides a definition of others as well, and one’s relationship with them.
 Through language, people can reflect on their own gendered identities, and battle the definition society
imposes them.

Naming things give them power. For example, sexual harassment was never seen as an issue as it was
never given a name. It was unwanted behavior in the workplace, but was seen as something that could not be
contended with. Because it was unnamed, it was ignored by those in power as if it did not exist. Recognizing
harassment for what it is – by describing and defining the act – helped men and women around the world put
mechanism that would address workplace harassment.
Similarly, people who experienced date rape had no term to describe what occurred to them, but
naming their experience helped them come to term with their issue.
Another example of “the problem that has no name” was given by Betty Friedan in her book, The
Feminine Mystique, in 1963. Friedan described it as the discontent that middle-class housewives felt in the US
during the 1950s to the 1960s. In naming the issue that her fellow housewife felt. Freidan was able to highlight
the structural oppression experienced by housewives, that despite their basic needs being met, they
themselves were unable to take control of their lives due to the limits the society enforces on their reproductive
roles.

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 Sexist Language and Culture
Gender Socialization is the process in which roles are
learned. Language that admonishes certain acts depending
on one’s gender is a form of externalized social control.
Common themes of a sexist language are the
commercialization and the trivialization of women. These
sexist portrayals of women extend to the advertising
industry, entertainment industry, and the arts. The
normalization of sexism makes violence against women
and children acceptable or tolerable. Using language for
gender stereotyping can contribute to sexism by reinforcing
the idea that certain words and traits should only be
associated with specific genders.
Language through its repetition of roles, stereotypes, and
adjectives affects how one person enacts his or her
capabilities. Constantly mocking or joking about
women/LGBT, sexualizing them internalize these ideas.

Towards a Gender-Fair Language

The use of gender-fair language in educational institutions and the removal of sexist language as
imperative to gender-responsiveness is currently being advocated. GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding
Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership and Action) Women’s party national president and party
list representative Liza Maza called a ban of sexist language in all official communication and documents in
the House of Representatives. The creation of a comprehensive gender-fair language policy and the evaluation
of the effectiveness of gender fair language in institutions are indicators for a gender-fair institution.
Language then is more than just the arrangement of words. Culture and values come from language
and vice versa. Language is also a process that represents one’s views, beliefs, and experiences. It must be
changed to reflect the changes in the world as well as to be free from bias since words can affect how a person
sees oneself and others around him or her.

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 ACTIVITY SHEET
(MIDTERM – GENDER AND SOCIETY)

Name : _____________________________________________________________________________
Course&Year/Major : _____________________________________________________________________________
Subject Code : _____________________________________________________________________________
Date Submitted : _____________________________________________________________________________

I. PRE-WORK
Observe yourself for a day and answer the following questions:
1. How do you speak to your female friends and how do you speak to your male friends? Do you shift
your tone or word choice?

2. How do you use communication to assert yourself and your ideas? How do you think people of the
other gender would use language to assert themselves? Would it be the same or different? Why or why
not?

3. How do you define feminine speech? What about masculine speech?

4. How differently do men from older generations speak as compared to women from their generations?
How is this different from how you and your friends speak today?

II. APPLICATION
Read the learning kit attached and answer the following questions.

1. Why is language important?

2. What is sexist language?

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 3. In what ways can language be used to discriminate?

4. How can a name give power to ideas?

5. What are some steps that can be taken to achieve gender-fair language?

III. ACTIVITY

Accomplish the following tasks individually.

1. Find texts which are supposed to be gender neutral. For instance, you can look for laws,
religious texts, or even local textbooks. Examine these texts and mark specific parts that violate
gender-fair language. After having identified the discriminatory parts, provide gender fair edits
or revisions.
2. Research the lyrics of your favorite rap song that speaks to or about women. Attach the lyrics
here. How are women portrayed in this song? What words are used to describe men and
women? What verbs are used to discuss them? If there is music video, how are men and women
portrayed? How would you write a more gender-fair version of this song? Does it still work?

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