How men and women are represented

Question 1

What is sexist language and what does it do?

Answer 1

It is language that insults, patronises or ignores people on the basis of their gender and there is more of this about women than men
Some language implies that the male version is the norm and the female is different or wrong

Question 2

Types of Sexist Language: Marked Terms

Answer 2

• Words that reveal a person’s gender: policeman, wife
• Unmarked terms don’t reveal a person’s gender
• Some words are given a feminising suffix: actress, comedienne
• The suffix implies the male version is the original or norm, so seems superior

Question 3

Types of Sexist Language: Generic Terms

Answer 3

• Where a marked term is used for both women and men
• It’s nearly always a masculine noun: man, mankind
• They refer to everyone, but can make females seem invisible, so women are said to be occupying negative semantic space

Question 4

Types of Sexist Language: Lexical Asymmetry

Answer 4

• Pairs of words that appear to have a similar meaning, but aren’t equally balanced.
• The connotations of “bachelor” are usually positive: a man living a carefree and independent life
• The connotations of “spinster” are usually negative: a woman is alone and unable to find a partner

Question 5

Types of Sexist Language: Patronising Terms

Answer 5

• Language which implies superiority over the person someone is talking to
• Depends of context: a male employee calling a woman “love” could be seen as patronising, but a boyfriend calling his girlfriend “love” or “sweetheart” isn’t.

Question 6

Can grammar be sexist?

Answer 6

Yes!

• Pronouns - the 3rd person singular masculine is used to refer to both men and women when he/she could be used
• Syntax - when one gender specific word is placed in front of another it is known as “order of preference”. Usually the male term comes first

Question 7

Are insults gender biased?

Answer 7

Yes!

1) Lots of insulting terms for women have an animal theme: “cow”, “bitch”
2) There are lots of words used to label women as promiscuous: “slapper, slut, slag”
3) There are hardly any male equivalents. The term “stud” tend to have positive connotations. Terms like “man slut” tend to be used comically, which implies the female term is the norm
4) The lack of an equivalent term for something is known as a lexical gap

Question 8

How can sexism be avoided?

Answer 8

1) Marked terms can be replaced with unmarked terms
2) Feminising suffixes can be dropped
3) “Ms” can be used in lieu of “Mrs” or “Miss” so one cannot tell if the woman is married or not
4) The generic terms can be replaced by gender neutral terms such as “humankind”
5) The generic use of the 3rd person masculine singular can be replaced by adding he/she or by being made plural