Gender has taken on renewed definitions in recent years.
While Women’s Health considers there to be 12 gender identities, some online surveys count as many as 112.
Regardless of proper semantics, as a recruiter, it’s important to recognise that traditional interpretations for gender being only two, male and female, are no longer appropriate. ♂️♀️
Gender is an identity, not a biological sex.
It is what someone associates themselves with emotionally rather than scientifically.
One of the biggest challenges in recruitment is trying to use the right language in your job ads.
It only takes a single inappropriate word to lose a star candidate.
To get a better idea of how to avoid gender-biased language and unconscious bias, here are some key examples to bookmark.
Gender Bias Language Examples
According to Stonewall, 35% of LGBT staff in the UK have hidden their identity for fear of discrimination.
Worrying reports like this show us more needs to be done to tackle discrimination in the workplace, starting with the language we use.
Gender bias language falls under six different categories:
- Race and Ethnicity
- Gender
- Sexuality
- Disability
- Class
- Age
With this in mind, here are some general gender-biased language examples.
1. Race and Ethnicity – ‘Coloured people’ ✊🏼✊🏿✊
The term ‘coloured people’ has not been acceptable since the mid-20th century for many reasons.
- It is a distasteful reminder of segregation.
- It is still used by racists as a racial slur.
- It collectively combines various races under one term. In other words. Non-white.
2. Gender – ‘Chairman’, ‘Mankind’, ‘Man the machine’ 👨
It can be easy to use masculine language as a part of your vocabulary.
You may not even be aware of it.
However, changing ‘man’ for ‘person’ is a simple way to appear more inclusive and gender-conscious.
Even words like ‘strong’, ‘competitive’, and ‘confident’ can be identified as male orientated.
It’s a matter of being more mindful and writing inclusively.
3. Sexuality – ‘Homosexual’ 🏳️🌈
The term ‘homosexual’ has a history, but also seems too scientific and de-personalised.
Nowadays, it has become a loaded word in the eyes of the gay community.
So much so, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) have put it on the list of offensive terms.
4. Disability – ‘Confined’ to a wheelchair 🦽
A person with a disability should not be made to feel restricted in any way.
When we find definitions for ‘confined’ in the thesaurus we see just how insensitive the description is to a person with a disability.
Words like ‘imprisoned’, ‘trapped’, ‘limited’, ‘closed’, and ‘restrained’ show the extent of the indifference and heartlessness at referring to a person in a wheelchair as being ‘confined’.
5. Class – ‘Peanut Gallery’ 🥜
‘Peanut gallery’ is a niche term describing the working/lower class members of society.
The term derives from the 19th century and describes the scenario of people in cheaper seats at the theatre throwing peanuts down at the actors they did not enjoy.
Although this is an uncommon phrase, it is just an example of subtle classism and is considered a racist caricature for the lower classes.
There are many classist terms associated with different job roles and industries you may want to research.
6. Age – ‘Digital Native’ 📱
Although appearing harmless, expressing a preference for a ‘digital native’ in a job advert can be considered ageist.
A ‘digital native’ refers to a person born and bought up within the digital/technology age.
It excludes older people and assumes they will not be competent with technology.
How to Avoid Gender Biased Language?
You can avoid gender biased language by making some subtle switches.
For example:
- ‘Coloured’ People – POC (People of colour). ✔️
- ‘Chairman’, ‘Mankind’, ‘Man’ – Chairperson, Humanity and Manage. ✔️
- ‘Homosexual’ – Gay/Lesbian. ✔️
- ‘Confined’ to a wheelchair – A wheelchair user. ✔️
- ‘Peanut Gallery’ – Audience. ✔️
- ‘Digital Native’ – Tech-savvy. ✔️
It is difficult to retrain the brain to communicate in an objective, mutual or unoffensive manner – especially as gender-biased language can derive from an unconscious, subconscious bias.
Managing something unconscious is much more difficult because we do it without really thinking.
It can be a result of social conditioning, be it family, friends, the media or even society.
After all, not everyone has a degree in literature, etymology, or sociology.
Besides cracking out the thesaurus or keeping your finger on the pulse of appropriate gender identity referencing, you can always use AdGrader.
Our team at AdBuilder developed AdGrader’s clever system to check for diversity and inclusivity in your job ads through a sophisticated automation process.
It removes the stress and ensures you attract the biggest audience in your search for a candidate.
