LANGUAGE & GENDER RELATION

LANGUAGE AND GENDER RELATIONS

Language is a potent tool for how humans understand and

participate in the world. It can shape how we see society. It is part of
culture. In this regard, language is not a neutral force; it enforces
certain ideas about people including gender.
LANGUAGE AND GENDER RELATIONS

Thelma Kintanar & Angela Tongson, in their 2014 book

Gender-fair Language: A Primer, focused on three aspects of
language that inform how gender is shaped-language articulates
consciousness, reflects culture, and affects socialization. Like
gender stereotyping, language influences how one sees his/her
gender and perceives other people’s gender.
VIOLATIONS 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.
VIOLATIONS OF GENDER FAIR LANGUAGE

For example, “women cannot be engineers” which may

impact how one views his or her capabilities. All in all, language is a
powerful force that plays a significant role in how one perceives the
world.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
A. Invisibilization of Women
The invisibilization of women is rooted in the assumption that men are
dominant and are the norm of the fullness of humanity and women do not exist.

* The genetic use of masculine pronouns or the use of a masculine general. The use of the word
“mankind” assumes that men are representative of all people in this planet, and that women’s
presence or roles are not acknowledged. Similarly, saying “guys” when referring to a mixed-
gender group, assumes that girls are invisible and calls attention to the male gender, giving them
a stronger presence.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
A. Invisibilization of Women.

* The assumption that certain functions or jobs are performed by men instead of both genders.
For example, “The farmers and their wives tilled the land”. Or “The politicians and their wives
lobbied for change”. So assume that men can have jobs as farmers and politicians and women
who do the same work are still made to be known as wives, with their identities forever linked to
being married to their husbands.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
A. Invisibilization of Women.

* The use of male job titles or terms ending in man to refer functions that may be given to both
genders. For instance, the titles “businessman” and “chairman” assume that all businessmen or
chairman are men and that certain jobs may not be for women, which is not true.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
B. Trivialization of Women

* Bringing attention to the gender of a person, of that person is a woman. The use of “lady”, “girl”,
or “woman” along with the noun brings attention to the gender of the person rather than to the job
or function. Examples of these include “girl athlete”, “woman doctor”, “lady guard” and “working
wives”. This notion also works for men who enter traditionally female jobs such as “male nurses”,
“male nannies”, or “male secretaries”.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
B. Trivialization of Women

*The perception of woman as immature. Woman may be labeled as “darling” or “baby” by those
who do not know them, making them appear childlike or juvenile.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
B. Trivialization of Women

*The objectification, or liking to objects of women. By being called “honey”, “sweets”, or “chick”,
women become devalued, especially if they are in an environment that merits formality such as
the workplace.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
C. Fostering unequal gender relations

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 relations to their husbands.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
D. Gender polarization of words in use of adjectives

The personal care brand Dove recently came out with an advertisement
that used parallel adjectives to show the difference in perception regarding men
and women. Both men & 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 “bossy”.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
D. Gender polarization of words in use of adjectives

Men who worked overtime were seen as “providers” while women 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.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
E. Hidden assumptions

Hidden assumptions in sentences can also be forms of microagression

if the underlying perceptions are sexist and degrading. Fro example, the
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. A typical example of a situation involving sexist language
is shown in the following sample case.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE
E. Hidden assumptions

SAMPLE CASE

Aaron mentioned that his friends from his all-boys high school would often use
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 it college. He shared that he
already “grew up” and stopped using terms bakla as an insults because he knows
that doing so many 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

characteristic or titles for men or women. Words that are gendered came from
another culture, which adopted after 400 years of colonization. The values and
the shaping of the education system were influenced by Western powers and
ideals. Filipinos portray a mix of identities, an infusion of both native & foreign
perspectives & values.
IDENTITIES & NAMING THINGS

Language is used to define what is feminine, masculine and outside

feminine or 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 ones relationship with them. Through language,
people can reflect on their own gendered identities and battle the definitions
society imposes on them.
IDENTITIES & NAMING THINGS

Example
Sexual harassment was never seen an issue as it was never given a
name. It was unwanted behavior in the workplace, but was seen as something
that would not be contended with. Recognizing harassment for what it is by
defining and describing the act helped women around the world put
mechanisms that would address workplace harassment. Similarly women who
experienced date rapes had no term to describe what occurred to them., but
naming their experience helped them come to terms with their issue
SEXIST LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Gender socialization is the process in which roles are learned. Common

themes of 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.
SEXIST LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

To call someone stupid everyday could have an effect on his or her

potential. In turn, language through it’s repetition of roles, stereotypes and
adjectives affects how one person enacts his/her capabilities. Constantly
mocking or joking about women/LGBT, sexualizing them, and making them
appear weak would indeed make them internalize these ideas.
TOWARD 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 for a ban of sexist language in all official
communication and documents in the House of Representatives.
TOWARD A GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE

The creation of a comprehensive gender-fair language policy and the

evaluation of the effectiveness of gender-fair language institutions are indicator
for a gender fair institution. These actions are small steps one can take in
ensuring that institutions are indeed gender-fair.
TOWARD A GENDER-FAIR LANGUAGE

Language then is more than just the arrangement of words. Cultures

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
reflected the changes in the worlds as well as to be free from bias since words
can affect how a person sees oneself and others around him or her.