How to Neutralise your Language for Greater Business Success

In our previous article on gendered language, we looked at the insidious ill effects of some all-too-common workplace terminology. Here we look at what you can do to neutralise language within your organisation, facilitating a shift towards greater equality and success for all.

Step 1 – awareness. Some English terms are obviously problematic (why do we feel sorry for a spinster but want to slap a bachelor on the back?). However, the more subtle strains of gendered language often fly under the radar and may even be seen as unimportant – they’re only words, after all. But words are powerful. Language allows us to order the world, and if our words are biased, our thinking and therefore our behaviour will be, too.

Step 2 – action. It’s time to take an informed look at your company’s communications, written and verbal, and weed out the words that are holding you back. Certain gender-based language is common across the corporate world, but you may also find terminology specific to your industry, department or role, subtly embedded in the way you talk.

With these goblin-esque words unmasked, make change easy for your team by creating clear communication guidelines that are tailored, easily absorbed and actionable. Problematic terminology should be highlighted, and neutral alternatives offered. And since language changes quickly, these guidelines should be a living document, adjusted and added to regularly.

Where should you look for gender-biased terminology?

Gendered language can be found across internal documents and even external comms, but it’s particularly prevalent in the recruitment process, evaluations and references. Job ads are a dangerous hotspot, effectively filtering by gender and stifling diversity from the start.

When researchers coded ads for male-dominated roles, they found them rife with masculine-related words such as competitive, dominant and leader. The same applied to female-related wording in ads for female-dominated roles. Studies also revealed that both men and women are less inclined to act on job ads containing these gender-biased terms, BUT when ads were gender neutral or reverse biased, applications evened out across the sexes.

Specific words and terms to keep a watchful eye out for:

Job titles

Many jobs were traditionally the preserve of either men or women, and titled accordingly. Think fireman, stewardess and policeman. Happily, we now have more gender-neutral alternatives at our disposal: firefighter, flight attendant and police officer. By using the gender-neutral titles, we make it easier for anyone to imagine themselves in those roles.

Then there’s the all-important chairman. A young woman is, consciously or subconsciously, less likely to set her sights on a role whose very name suggests it’s made for men. Chairperson opens this rather large and important door to everyone.

Expressions with man built in

Terms like businessmen, man-hours, man-to-man and manpower often pop up in the course of working life. No need to point out the common theme and how it diminishes women’s contributions. All these terms are easily replaced with gender-neutral alternatives, for example, work-hours, face-to-face, and personnel or labour. And if an alternative isn’t immediately obvious, get creative!

Names and titles

Until fairly recently, women mutated upon marriage, shapeshifting from Miss (the potential possession of Mr) to Mrs (the actual possession of Mr).  (Hubbies evidently underwent no such change.) Now we have the more neutral title Ms, and we should make good use of it.

Another common oddity is referring to men by their surname but women by their first name, or both names (Chan for a male colleague and Ruth or Ruth Chan for a female colleague). The use of the first name for women ties in with communal language and the idea that women are warm, personable and socially minded (while men are not).

Be consistent. Call everyone by one name or both.

Gender pronouns

Man is still commonly used to refer to all people, and the pronoun he is often used in a similar way. Except they don’t really refer to all people, do they? These terms exclude half the human population and perpetuate the idea that male is the norm and female the anomaly. If you’re referring to someone whose gender is unknown or irrelevant, don’t default to he. Instead, use they, or if you’re feeling particularly frisky, counterbalance with she.

The benefits of shifting the way we talk at work are huge, and not just for women. And just beyond the business benefits, there’s an even bigger prize. Corporations have the power to drive change, often faster and more effectively than governments and political groups. By changing the way we talk about gender at work, we can change the way we talk about gender in the world.

Are you looking for ways to create more diversity and equality in your organisation? Get in touch and let us come and talk to your team about the importance of gendered language.