Week 7

GAD 101
Week 7
Gender Communication
Gender-fair Language
Gender communication is a specialization
of the communication field that focuses on the
ways we, as gendered beings, communicate.
Sexism in language exists when language
devalues members of a certain gender.
Sexist language, in many instances,
promotes male superiority. Sexism in
language affects consciousness, perceptions
of reality, encoding and transmitting cultural
meanings and socialization.
a. Nature - Language is one of the most powerful

means through which sexism and gender
discrimination are perpetrated and reproduced.
• The content of gender stereotypes, according to

which women should display communal/warmth
traits and men should display agent/competence
traits, is reflected in the lexical choices of everyday
communication.
• Grammatical and syntactical rules are built

in a way that feminine terms usually derive
from the corresponding masculine form.
Similarly, masculine nouns and pronouns are
often used with a generic function to refer to
both men and women.
• However, such linguistic forms have the
negative effects of making women disappear
in mental representations.
• Although the use of gender-fair linguistic

expressions can effectively prevent these negative
consequences and promote gender equality, there
are even more implicit forms of gender bias in
language that are difficult to suppress.
• By choosing terms at different levels of
abstraction, people can affect the attributions of
the receiver in a way that is consistent with their
stereotypical beliefs.
b. Gender-fair Language - Gender-fair

language minimizes unnecessary concern
about gender in your subject matter,
allowing both you and your reader to focus
on what people do rather than on which
sex they happen to be.
Sexism in
Language
What is Sexism in Language?
The University Center for Women's

Studies University of the Philippines
defines Sexism in Language as the use of
language which devalues members of one
sex, almost invariably women, and thus
fosters gender inequality.
What is Sexism in Language?
It discriminates against women by

rendering them invisible or
trivializing them at the same time
that it perpetuates notions of male
supremacy.
Why the Concern about Mere Words?
Language articulates consciousness.
It not only orders our thought but from infancy,

we learn to use language to give utterance to
our basic needs arid feelings.
Why the Concern about Mere Words?
Language reflects culture
It encodes and transmits cultural meanings

and values in our society.
Why the Concern about Mere
Words?
Language affects socialization
Children learning a language absorb the

cultural assumptions and biases underlying
language use and see these as an index to
their society's values and attitudes.
Social inequity reflected in language can

thus powerfully affect a child's later
behavior and beliefs.
How to avoid sexist language?
Some guidelines for the use of Gender-Fair

Language.
a. Avoid attaching sexist terms when the gender

is unknown
When the gender is unknown, there is no reason

to attach a supposed gender. If we are talking
about a doctor, whose identity is not given, do
not assume the doctor is he.

Language.
b. Avoid Sexism
Sexism is introduced to base words by using
suffixes. Adding ess or ette onto an otherwise
neutral noun indicates a feminine adjustment to
a masculine word and therefore should be
avoided in nonsexist language (e.g. usherette,
directress).
Some guidelines for the use of Gender-

Fair Language.
c. Avoid Demeaning Words
Some words demean like "chick" to refer to
woman and "cat" to refer to man.

Language.
d. Avoid Stereotyping
Stereotyping means "an unvarying form of
patterns: a fixed or conventional notion or
conception, as of a person group, idea etc., held
by a number of people and allowing for no
individuality".

Language.
d. Avoid Stereotyping
This develops through time: males perceive
themselves as tough, powerful, strong while
women perceive themselves as weak,
submissive, passive (e.g. secretary is always
perceived to be a woman while a bank
president is often perceived as man).

Fair Language.
e. Avoid Verbal Abuse
Words can be used as weapons or healers
depending on the choice of verbiage and the
manner in which they are spoken. Words like
cry baby or mama's boy are often used with the
intent to hurt. Women are described as
"witches", "bitchy", "catty" or "spiteful" The
verbally abusive man is often described as
demanding, controlling, bossy, domineering.

Fair Language.
e. Avoid Verbal Abuse
Words can be used as weapons or healers
depending on the choice of verbiage and the
manner in which they are spoken. Words like
cry baby or mama's boy are often used with the
intent to hurt. Women are described as
"witches", "bitchy", "catty" or "spiteful" The
verbally abusive man is often described as
demanding, controlling, bossy, domineering.
What to do to become a non-sexist speaker or
writer:
a. Man does not involve women

Avoid using man to refer to human being.
Sexist: Man was created by God to inhabit the

earth.
Non-sexist: Humans were created.
writer:
b. Avoid describing women's appearance

in terms of their sexuality or femininity
unless the same can be applied for men in
the same situation.
When describing women, select detail carefully

and honestly, asking "would the other sex be so
described?'
writer:
c. Use "man" correctly

1. "Man" as a verb. Substitute with work,
Serve, operate staff, and run.
Sexist: We are going to man the booth.

Non-sexist: We are going to supervise/
watch the booth.
writer:

2. "Man" as a prefix
Sexist: mankind, manpower, man-hours,

man-made, manholes
Non-sexist: humanity, human power, work
hours, artificial, utility covers
writer:

3. "Man" as suffix
Sexist: Chairman, spokesman, salesman

Non-sexist: Chair/presider, spokesperson/
salesperson
writer:

4. "Man "as people
Sexist: Englishmen, Frenchmen

Non-sexist: The English, The French
writer:

5. "Man" as public servant
Sexist: congressman, lady senator
Non-sexist: legislator/ representative,

senator
writer:
d. Use pronouns correctly.

A pronoun is used to replace a noun or
another pronoun. First and second person
pronouns are genderless (I, we, me, you,
our, your, yours etc.) but third person causes
sexist difficulties.
Sexist: congressman, lady senator

Non-sexist: legislator/ representative,
senator
writer:

1. Use plural nouns/ pronouns
Sexist: A child should learn to tie his own shoes.
Non-sexist: Children should learn to tie their own

shoes.
writer:

2. Omit the pronoun
Sexist: A politician likes to offer his opinion.
Non-sexist: A politician likes to offer

opinion.
writer:

3. Change the subject.
Sexist: A lawyer who wants to win his case

will do his homework.
Non-sexist: Homework is important to the
lawyer who wants to win a case.
writer:

4. Use the passive voice
Sexist: The gardener uses his tools in his

works.
Non-sexist: The gardener's work is
accomplished with the use of tools.
writer:
e. Avoid sexism by endings and implications.

Use neutral words. Sex should not be used as a basis
to differentiate between two qualified people. Many
Americans have the habit of making two forms of
nouns-masculine and feminine- when only one is
required.
Sexist: Non-sexist:
usherette attendant
janitor sanitary engineer
writer:
f. Define women by who they are, not by

who their fathers are.
Don't use "Mrs. Wil Mendoza" , use woman's
first name instead: "Mrs. Eva Mendoza"
Sexist: Mr. and Mrs. Leopoldo Perez

Non-sexist: Leopoldo and Erlinda Perez
Sexist: Nancy, the wife of George, is our speaker.
Nonsexist: Nancy, married to George, is our
speaker.
GENDER AND SOCIETY
GENDER
FAIR
LANGUAGE
Gender Fair Language.
Identify
which
words are
GENDER
NEUTRAL
Change these words/phrases to

GENDER NEUTRAL
STEWARD/ STEWARDESS
SPOKESMAN
MOTHER TONGUE
ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL

MANLY
Define
Language
“Potent tool for how

humans understand and
participate in the world. ”
What is its relation to gender?

Common
Adjectives
associated with a
Gendered specific gender
assumptions Examples: Gender
are present Women (emotional, Stereotyping
pretty, chaste, sensitive
in language
Man (handsome, Stern,
dominant, loud)
Violations of

GENDER FAIR LANGUAGE
SEXIST Is a tool that reinforces unequal gender

LANGUAGE relations through sex-role stereotypes,
microaggressions, and sexual
harassment.
Example: Men cannot take care of children; Women cannot

be engineers
INVISIBILIZATION OF WOMEN
rooted in the assumption that men are dominant and that women do not e
The assumption that The use of male job

The generic use of titles or terms ending
certain functions or
masculine pronouns jobs are performed by in man to refer to
or the use of a men instead of both functions that may be
masculine general. genders given to both genders
“the farmers and their

wives tilled the land”
mankind, guys Businessman,
“politicians and their chairman
wives lobbied for
change”
Trivialization
of
Women
Bringing attention to the gender of a
person rather than the job or function

This notion
girl athlete also works for
male nurses
woman doctor men who
male nannies
lady guard enter
traditionally male secretaries
working wives
female jobs
such as:
Trivialization

of
Women
Perception of women as immature
Labeled as “darling” or “baby”; making
them appear childlike or juvenile.

Trivialization

of
Women
O b j e c t i f i c a t i o n ; likening to objects of
women
Women called as “honey”, “sweets”, “chick”

can feel devalued especially in formal
environments (e.g. workplace)
FOSTERING UNEQUAL
GENDER RELATIONS HIDDEN ASSUMPTIONS
A form of
Language that microaggression
lacks parallelism
GENDER
man and wife POLARIZATION OF The father is

men and girls WORDS IN USE OF babysitting his children
ADJECTIVES
Example:
When men talk

together, it is called
convention. But when
women talk together,
it is called gossip.
• Filipino or Tagalog is mainly gender neutral

• Gendered words came from another culture,
which were adopted after 400 years of
Philippine colonization
Culture • Values and shaping of the education system

were influenced by Western powers and
and ideals
Language • Filipinos portray a mix of identities, an

infusion of both native and foreign
perspectives and values
identities and naming things

LANGUAGE:
o Defines feminine, masculine, and outside feminine or masculine

o A tool for understanding the world
o Gives a person the power to define oneself and the external world
and one’s place in it
o Provides a definition of others as well, and one’s relationship with
them
o People can reflect on their own gendered identities, and battle the
definitions society imposes on them
LANGUAGE

EXAMPLES
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
DATE RAPE
• was never seen as an issue as it was never
given a name
• it is an unwanted behavior in the workplace women who experienced this had
• seen as something that could not be contended no term to describe what occurred
to them, but naming their
with
experience helped them come to
• it was ignored by those in power as if it did terms with their issue
not exist
• recognizing harassment for what it is helped
women around the world put mechanisms that
would address workplace harassment
• 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 Sexist
commercialization and the trivialization of women
• Normalization of sexism = violence against women Language
and children will be viewed as acceptable and
tolerable
and
• Using language for gender stereotyping can
Culture
contribute to sexism by reinforcing the idea that
certain words and traits should only be associated
with specific genders.
• Being sexist depends on a specific culture.
• The attitude of a culture towards a certain gender
may influence the words used, creating sexist Sexist
language.
Language
L A N G UA G E and
• both a symptom and a perpetrator of sexism
• the very telling of how a society sees a certain Culture
gender
These sexist portrayals of women extend to the:
ADVERTISING INDUSTRY E N T E R TA I N M E N T I N D U S T R Y THE ARTS

What does this
ad imply?
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.
G eneral
A ssembly
Liza Maza called for a ban of sexist language
B inding women for
in all official communication and documents
eforms in the House of Representatives.

R
I ntegrity The creation of a comprehensive gender-fair
language policy and the evaluation of the
E quality
effectiveness of gender-fair institution
L eadership and
A ction
Language
• cultures and values come from here and
vice versa
• also a process that represents one’s views,
beliefs, and experiences
• 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
GAD 101
MIDTERM WEEKS 9-11
GENDER ROLES & SOCIALIZATION
(Family & Religion)
Gender socialization is the process of teaching
individuals how to behave under the social expectations
of their gender, known as gender roles.
It begins at birth and intensifies during adolescence.
Gender socialization occurs through four major agents
of socialization: family, schools, peer groups, and
mass media.
Each agent reinforces gender roles by teaching gender
stereotypes.
Socialization into gender roles begins in infancy, as
almost from the moment of birth parents begin to
socialize their children as boys or girls. Society expects
different attitudes and behaviors from boys and girls,
which leads to gender inequalities in education,
employment, income, etc..
How does Gender Socialization affect Children’s
Development?
❖ Through gender socialization, children learn about the
social expectations, attitudes, and behaviors typically
associated with their gender.
❖ It affect children's beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and
opportunities.
❖ It can influence their self-esteem, self-concept, and
identity formation
For instance: boys may be encouraged to be more aggressive and competitive
while girls may be encouraged to be more nurturing and passive. This can affect
their academic performance, career choices, relationships with others, and mental
health.
What are some examples of gender roles that are learned?
❖ Gender roles are learned behaviors that are expected of
individuals based on their assigned sex. Some examples of
gender roles that are learned include how one is expected to
act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct themselves in society
❖ Children learn gender roles through play and the toys they
are given by their parents
(For instance, boys are typically given trucks, toy guns, and superhero paraphernalia
while girls are given dolls and kitchen)
❖ Gender roles also influence our beliefs about leadership
qualities; men are often associated with assertiveness and
rationality while women are associated with nurturing
qualities
Family
Families are primary agents of gender
socialization, and often provide children's first
sources of information and learning about
gender.
Gender equality at home can help all children
fulfill their potential, as equal rights and
opportunities for girls and boys are essential.
There are different types of family structures. Some
common ones include:
❖Nuclear family, consisting of parents and their children
Single-parent family, where one parent raises the children
❖Extended family, which includes grandparents, aunts,
uncles, and cousins
❖Childless family, where a couple does not have children
❖Stepfamily or blended family, formed when two families
merge through marriage or partnership
❖Grandparent family, where grandparents raise their
grandchildren
Gender Roles on Family and Religion
Some religious groups are more traditional than others when it
comes to gender roles in a family, with Muslims being more
inclined to say that men should be the breadwinners and women should
take care of the home
Historically, women have accepted traditional gender roles,

but radical feminists argue that Christianity, Judaism, Islam
and many other religions evolved in patriarchal societies
and therefore perpetuate gender inequality
Family and religious ideologies may
influence gender role attitudes in other
countries where gender inequality
persists. While some argue that gender
roles help divide tasks for household
organization, others point out that
Abrahamic religious texts often
define women as mothers, nurturers,
caregivers, and helpmeets for their male
counterparts.
How do different religions view gender
roles in the family?
Indian attitudes about gender roles

within family settings vary widely
across religious groups, with Sikhs
and Buddhists being the most
egalitarian (relating to or believing in the
principle that all people are equal and deserve equal
rights and opportunities .)
Radical feminists argue that
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and many other
religions evolved in patriarchal societies where
men used religious texts and institutions to
maintain their power over women. Traditional
Judaism views gender roles as different from
each other, with both roles being important.
A study found that when parents are more
religious, their children have more
stereotypical gender attitudes
Religion and gender inequality:
UN Women
In a brief released by UN Women1, the following
points were highlighted as examples of religion and
gender inequality:
❖ Failure to adequately challenge the structural
determinants of gender inequality
❖ The absence of women in positions of religious authority
❖ Alliance between conservative religious forces and
political elites (to strengthen discrimination based on
gender, namely against women and girls)
❖ Reluctance to collaborate with feminist faith-based
actors
References:
How Do We Learn Gender? - Sage Publications
https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/39367_4.pdf
There Is No 'Female Brain' — Gender Differences are Learned

https://aninjusticemag.com/there-is-no-female-brain-gender-differences-are-
learned-not-innate-e2c3fa5ed3d
Are gender roles learned or innate? - Pearn Kandola

https://pearnkandola.com/diversity-and-inclusion-hub/bias/gender-roles-learned-
innate/
Are Gender Differences in Performance Innate or Socially

https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/are-gender-differences-performance-innate-or-
socially-mediated
Gender and Religion

https://www.studysmarter.us/explanations/social-studies/beliefs-in-society/gender-
and-religion/

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GAD 101

a. Nature - Language is one of the most powerful

• The content of gender stereotypes, according to

• Grammatical and syntactical rules are built

• Although the use of gender-fair linguistic

b. Gender-fair Language - Gender-fair

The University Center for Women's

It discriminates against women by

Language articulates consciousness.

It not only orders our thought but from infancy,

Language reflects culture

It encodes and transmits cultural meanings

Language affects socialization

Children learning a language absorb the

Social inequity reflected in language can

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-Fair

a. Avoid attaching sexist terms when the gender

When the gender is unknown, there is no reason

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-Fair

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-Fair

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-Fair

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-

Some guidelines for the use of Gender-

a. Man does not involve women

Sexist: Man was created by God to inhabit the

b. Avoid describing women's appearance

When describing women, select detail carefully

c. Use "man" correctly

Sexist: We are going to man the booth.

c. Use "man" correctly

Sexist: mankind, manpower, man-hours,

c. Use "man" correctly

Sexist: Chairman, spokesman, salesman

c. Use "man" correctly

Sexist: Englishmen, Frenchmen

c. Use "man" correctly

Sexist: congressman, lady senator

Non-sexist: legislator/ representative,

d. Use pronouns correctly.

Sexist: congressman, lady senator

d. Use pronouns correctly.

Sexist: A child should learn to tie his own shoes.

Non-sexist: Children should learn to tie their own

d. Use pronouns correctly.

Sexist: A politician likes to offer his opinion.

Non-sexist: A politician likes to offer

d. Use pronouns correctly.

Sexist: A lawyer who wants to win his case

d. Use pronouns correctly.

Sexist: The gardener uses his tools in his

e. Avoid sexism by endings and implications.

f. Define women by who they are, not by

Sexist: Mr. and Mrs. Leopoldo Perez

Gender Fair Language.

ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL

“Potent tool for how

Gender Fair Language.

Gender Fair Language.