In most aspects of our daily lives, and certainly in the workplace, the language we use plays an important role. Think of technical terms, titles, or which expressions we consider appropriate for the professional world. This is even more true when we’re looking at diversity, equity and inclusion, short DEI: You want language to be respectful and inclusive of all your employees, customers, clients and collaborators, and that requires being mindful of the terms you use.
In this glossary, you can find a list of important terms within the context of DEI that can help you understand the most important concepts and express yourself respectfully and clearly. Of course, language is ever-changing and no such list can be complete, but we hope it will support you in living diversity and inclusion in your daily life at work.
Ability
Having the mental and/or physical condition to engage in one or more activities in life (e.g. seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, working or caring for oneself). The adjective is “abled” or “able-bodied” - use this rather than “normal” when speaking about someone who doesn’t have a disability. Discrimination based on disability is called ableism.
Age
While the term itself is self-explanatory, it’s often underestimated as an aspect of diversity or discrimination. To include people of all ages in your communication, avoid stereotypes that imply a correlation between age and unrelated traits, such as “young and dynamic”.
Ally
An ally is someone who is not part of a marginalized group, but actively seeks to support the causes of this group. This can take many forms: Speaking up and offering support when you witness discrimination, consciously making space for marginalised voices (e.g. inviting them as speakers or promoting their work), financial support such as donations, and much more. Using inclusive language is part of being an ally.
Asexual, Aromantic
These terms describe someone who does not experience sexual or romantic attraction, or experiences them at a lower level than most people. To include these people in your communication, take care not to assume that everyone has or wants to have romantic or sexual relationships, and avoid negative terms such as “prude”. Even when you’re not speaking about an individual, they reinforce the idea that not experiencing sexual or romantic attraction makes someone defective.
Binary gender
The belief that only two genders and sexes exist, male and female, and that consequently all individuals are either men or women. Modern science has been moving away from this binary model as we’re starting to learn more about its complexity on both the biological and social level. However, binary gender is still present in many aspects of our lives (e.g. bathrooms, toys, even soaps and shampoos).
Cisgender
Or “cis” for short. This refers to people whose gender identity matches the gender they were assigned at birth, in order to avoid terms like “normal” that paint other people as defective. A woman who was assigned female at birth is a cis woman, a man who was assigned male at birth is a cis man. Use these terms if you need to emphasize that someone is not trans, otherwise you can, of course, simply use “man” or “woman”.
Disability
A mental or physical condition that affects an individual’s ability to engage in one or more major life activities (e.g. seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, breathing, performing manual tasks, learning, working or caring for oneself). Unless a person specifically requests them, don’t use outdated (1) and offensive terms such as “cripple” or “retard”, as well as well-meaning euphemisms, e.g. “differently abled” or “special”. Instead, simply use “person with a disability” or “disabled person”; there is no consensus on which is preferable, though the first variant is now more widely used by the community.
Divers
This is the third official gender option that is available in Germany. It was originally introduced specifically for intersex people (who until very recently had to be assigned male or female at birth, even if their physical traits didn’t fit either), but may now also be used by non-binary people.
Diversity
This term describes the variety of traits and identities within the members of a group, e.g. relating to gender, race, age or cultural background. The more varied the identities of group members, the more diverse the group. Note that the term “diverse” necessitates the presence of several people and one person alone can not be “diverse” - they are simply an individual with many different characteristics. If you want to emphasize that someone has multiple traits that differ from the social norm (e.g. someone who is non-binary, Black and has a disability), without listing all these traits, you could say they are marginalized in multiple ways.
Ethnicity
This term refers to the geographic and cultural origins (e.g. shared history, ancestry, cultural practices, religion and/or language) usually shared by groups of people. It’s not synonymous with race or nationality, although there can be overlap. Use the term “ethnicity” if you are referring to someone’s specific cultural background, such as Sorbian or Romani. Unfortunately, many widely-used terms to describe ethnicities have colonialist and racist origins and can be offensive, so make sure that you’re using the terms these communities prefer (e.g. Romani or other specific identities instead of “Gypsy” or Khoekhoe instead of “Hottentot”).
FLINTA
A term that originates from German activist spaces, but could be useful in the workplace as well, this acronym stands for “Frauen (women), lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people”. In other words, it includes everyone who is not a cis man. Lesbians are listed separately to point out that they are often seen as “not real women” and face different challenges than straight women.
Gender
While it is often conflated with sex (or “biological gender”), this term refers to social roles and norms regarding things such as behavior, personality traits and interests. The way someone experiences their own gender is referred to as “gender identity” and it can, but doesn’t have to, align with the gender they were assigned at birth (usually based on their sex) or the gender others perceive them as. We have written about gender-sensitive language extensively, so check out these posts if you’re interested in learning how to address people of all genders respectfully.
(Gender) Equity
Gender equity is the (goal) state in which power, opportunities and ressources are evenly distributed among people of all genders. In this state, gender does not determine your social position anymore. In contrast, gender equality refers to the idea that people of all genders are equal and have equal legal rights. Legal equality alone does not constitute equity though, women and gender minorities such as trans or intersex people are still disadvantaged in many areas of life. Gender equity measures aim at providing these groups with equal access and support to uplift them. It can not only be used with regards to gender, but also disability, race and other characteristics. Usually, enhancing “equity” entails leveraging structural factors such as accessibility, fair pay, etc.
Inclusion
This term refers to people being welcomed and involved in a group. Where “equity” tends to be more about the structural level, “inclusion” usually refers to the interpersonal level, i.e. how group members treat each other. This can include, for example, speaking in a respectful and inclusive way, taking everyone’s needs into account when planning work events, educating yourself and others about diversity and sharing informal tasks fairly.
Intersex
“Inter” for short. This term refers to people whose physical characteristics from birth (e.g. chromosomes, hormones, sexual organs) do not conform to what is typically expected for men or women. Intersex people are sometimes referred to as a “third gender” or “third sex”, but this is inaccurate, as there are several different intersex conditions. The term mainly refers to physical characteristics and intersex people may identify as women, men, intersex, non-binary, etc., regardless of what they were assigned at birth. Like with anyone else, ask which terms they prefer and communicate accordingly.
LGBTQIA+
This is an umbrella term for individuals whose sexual or gender identity differs from the cisgender, heterosexual norm. The letters stand for: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual/aromantic/agender; the plus sign stands for people whose identity falls under this umbrella, but who use terms that are not explicitly present in the acronym, for example non-binary. Use this acronym if you want to talk about the entire community or someone whose exact identity you don’t know, and use individual identities when you want to speak about specific experiences; e.g.: “LGBTQIA+ people still face discrimination and as a gay man, he knows that all too well.”
Neurodivergent
An umbrella term that encompasses certain neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and ADHD. It’s not a scientific term, but rather used by advocates to signify that these conditions are not inherently bad or something to be cured, but rather are part of human diversity (neurodiversity). While you would usually refer to someone’s specific condition when speaking about them as an individual, the term neurodivergent can be helpful when speaking more broadly (e.g. “She is autistic and it would be great to hear some other neurodivergent perspectives.”). The most common term for someone who is not neurodivergent is “neurotypical”.
Non-binary
This refers to people whose gender identity falls outside of the binary “male” or “female”, regardless of the gender someone was assigned at birth. Some people use the term non-binary itself to describe their identity, others use more specific terms such as genderqueer, genderfluid or agender. Therefore non-binary is both an identity in itself and an umbrella term for different identities. To include non-binary people in your communication, ask for their correct pronouns (many use “they”) and use gender-neutral language when addressing or talking about them.
Pronouns
A word or phrase used as a substitution for a noun or noun phrase. With regards to gender, we mostly mean third-person personal pronouns such as “he”, “she” or “they”. If you’re meeting someone new, consider sharing the pronouns you use for yourself (even if they seem obvious) to give the other person an opportunity to share theirs. You can also ask them directly, e.g. “What are your pronouns?” or “What pronouns would you like me to use for you?”
Queer
The word “queer” originated as a slur for LGBTQIA+ people, but has since been reclaimed, meaning that it has become a positive and generally accepted term. Queer can both be an identity in itself (“I am queer”, i.e. I am not cis and/or heterosexual) and an umbrella term that’s roughly synonymous with LGBTQIA+ identities. Keep in mind, however, that it’s best used when speaking about a mixed group of people (e.g. “the queer community”); for individuals, use their respective identity (e.g. if someone is a lesbian, use that word rather than “queer”, unless they ask you to). Conversely, there are people who are not LGBTQIA+, but use the term “queer” to signify that their life does not fit into certain mainstream norms and expectations.
Race
This term refers to how we categorize people based on certain physical traits that are associated with particular geographical areas, such as skin color, hair structure, eye shape, etc. Often, cultural traits such as names, language or certain ways of dressing are also associated with specific races. Note that race is not synonymous with nationality and is a much broader term than ethnicity, even though the two are sometimes used interchangeably and can overlap. For example, someone may be a Black (race) Nigerian (nationality) Hausa (ethnicity) or a white (race) German (nationality) German (ethnicity). Use whichever term is most relevant to what you want to express, but make sure you never use outdated (1) and offensive terms such as the “n-word” for Black people or “oriental” for people of e.g. Asian descent.
Race bias
This refers to (unconscious) bias about people based on their (presumed) race, e.g. with regards to skills, personality or interests. In the workplace, this is reflected in who gets hired and promoted, what is considered a professional look or professional language, and so on. To avoid race bias in language, learn which words have their origins in racial oppression and avoid them as well as race-based generalizations.
Socioeconomic Status
Roughly equivalent to class, this term means an individual’s economic and social position, related to financial means and other economic resources, their family background, their education, etc. Someone’s socioeconomic status often plays a significant role in their career and needs to be considered when you are talking about diversity. To include people of different statuses in your communication, avoid slurs and jokes about people with lower financial resources or less education, but also consider the implications of what you are saying. For instance, “It’s just 50€, so why don’t you give it a try” disregards that 50€ can be a lot of money for some people, inadvertently making them feel alienated.
TIN
This acronym stands for “trans, intersex, non-binary”, in other words it’s an umbrella term for anyone who is not cisgender. An even broader term with similar use is “gender minority”.
Transgender
Transgender (or just “trans”) refers to people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. This can encompass trans women (women who were assigned male at birth), trans men (men who were assigned female at birth) and non-binary people (someone whose gender identity falls outside the male-female binary), although not all non-binary people identify as transgender. However, unless it’s important for context, you should just use “men” and “women” to refer to trans men and trans women. The term “transsexual” is sometimes still used, but generally considered outdated. The process of someone aligning their body and social presentation with their gender, e.g. through hormone therapy and changing their name, is called “transitioning” - avoid the outdated term “sex change”.
One more note on diversity at work
Of course, there are many more terms that we could have included in this glossary. That’s the thing about diversity: it’s all-encompassing. So take this not as a definite list, but as a jumping-off point to start conversations about diversity at work! Ask your coworkers which terms they use for themselves or which ones they just can’t stand. Share things you have learned about inclusive language, identity and diversity. There’s always a lot to talk about when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, and if you approach it with an open mind, it can help you get to know your co-workers and yourself better. And that in itself will make your workplace a more comfortable space for everyone.
“Outdated” doesn’t mean that these terms were appropriate in the past, but we want to acknowledge that they were (and in some cases still are) widely used without malicious intent. On a similar note, there is some disagreement - even within our team - on whether these terms should be spelled out in any context. We chose to use them in this educational context to ensure that it’s clear what kinds of words we mean.