What is gender-neutral language and how can we use it in English ❓ A. Many years ago, a new manager who had just started in my office set up his first meeting with our team which consisted of three men and five women. During said meeting, he expressed his excitement in joining the company and then added, “I believe in talent, and so I’m interested in talking to any guy … who studied economics…” See anything wrong with that statement? If you’re wondering why “a guy,” then you’ve identified an example of NOT using gender-neutral language. B. Now imagine men attending a meeting for single parents only to hear the speaker refer to the attendees as single mothers. That’s another example of NOT using gender-neutral language. ❌ Gender-biased language that associates certain roles with only one gender like in the above examples, supports stereotypes and can unintentionally exclude groups of people. Although accepted in some national and organizational cultures, using such language can demotivate those who feel excluded and subsequently decrease productivity as well as damage professional and personal relationships. 👌 Gender-neutral language is therefore language that is inclusive and avoids stereotypical views. For instance, in example A, the new manager could have used any of: · I’m interested in talking to 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 who… · I’m interested in talking to 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 who… · I’m interested in talking to 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬 who… In example B, the speaker could have said 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 or 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. We often use third-person plurals: 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 with singular nouns when we don’t know the gender. For example: · A good manager listens to their team, and they aren’t afraid to communicate. · When we know who the project manager is, we’ll send them the documents. · I’ll see if there’s an office assistant. Maybe they can help me. Can you think of gender-neutral words?