In the first part of our series on gender sensitive language we talked about when to use gender neutral language. Now let’s get to the “how?” In this article, we will explain the basics of gender neutral phrases and also give you some pointers on how to do it in German.
How do I use gender neutral language?
As we have previously discussed, English is a relatively gender neutral language to begin with. Articles, such as “the” and “a”, don’t have a grammatical gender, and neither do many nouns. So the main things to watch out for are nouns that do contain gendered components as well as phrases that convey gender stereotypes.
Using gender neutral language: Do's and Don'ts
When you’re speaking generally, avoid the generic masculine. E.g. use “police officers” instead of “policemen” or “businessperson” instead of “businessman”. (In theory, the same rule would apply to words containing the singular “woman”; however, this is very rarely used generically. Do consider replacing it with the more neutral phrase if you’re not sure that the person identifies as a woman.)
The same is true for phrases that use both the male and female form. “Congresspeople” is more inclusive than “congressmen and -women”.
Words with the female form “-ess” are increasingly considered outdated. When speaking generically or about a nonbinary person, use the base form instead (e.g. “actor” instead of “actress”). For other individuals, use the form they prefer.
Avoid generalizations. Watch out for phrases such as “Women like…” or “Men are…” and consider what you are implying about a large group of people. Don’t use gender as a shorthand.
We will discuss how to use pronouns neutrally and address everyone respectfully in the next part of this series.
How to use gender neutral language in German
Those of you who speak or are learning German might have noticed that speaking gender neutrally is a lot more complicated. Most nouns come in male and female versions, and most other words are also different depending on the gender of the noun. But there are strategies that you can use:
Use so-called “gender signs”. A slash has been used for many years to include both female and male forms (“Mitarbeiter/innen”), but there are others, such as a colon (“Mitarbeiter:innen”) or underscore (“Mitarbeiter_innen”). We recommend the asterisk, the so-called “Gendersternchen”, as it’s been proven to be comparatively accessible and is preferred by trans, inter and nonbinary communities.
The “Gendersternchen”, like all gender signs, is used by putting it between the male and female forms of the word: “Mitarbeiter*innen”. If the male form ends in a vowel, it is dropped (“Kund*in”).
Gender signs are pronounced as a very short pause, similar to many compound nouns.
Alternatively, use neutral words, similar to English, e.g. “Fachkraft” instead of “Fachmann/Fachfrau”. Advanced learners might find the collection of neutral words at geschicktgendern.de useful.
If no neutral word exists or can be created, consider rephrasing your sentence. For example, you can address someone directly or rearrange the sentence to avoid gendered words: “Du kannst Fragen im Chat stellen” or “Fragen können im Chat gestellt werden” instead of “Teilnehmer können Fragen im Chat stellen.”
Gender sensitive language in the workplace
Anyone who communicates a lot with various customers or colleagues may have asked themselves at one time or another how everyone can be addressed correctly. For example, we are often asked how new non-binary colleagues should be addressed. As usual, the golden rule is: if in doubt, it's best to ask! But we'd still like to share some good practices for using gender sensitive language in the workplace:
When writing in German, avoid using phrases such as "Mitarbeiter (m/f/d)" in job advertisements. Although this is considered inclusive in a legal sense, the generic masculine has been proven to be less appealing to most women, non-binary and intersex people. Use a neutral form or gender signs instead.
Ask for the preferred form of address in contact forms instead of someone's gender. In other words, do not give "male", "female" or "other" as options, as this does not necessarily indicate how to address the person correctly. Instead, use e.g. "Mrs.", "Mr.", "neutral address". When addressing them, simply use first and last names instead of "Mr." or "Mrs.", e.g. "Hello Alex Müller" or "Dear Deniz Yilmaz". Alternatively, you can also dispense with this questions altogether and simply address everyone by their first and last name instead of using gendered titles.
When writing in German, agree on a spelling for gender fair phrases within the company, at least for official correspondence. This makes it easier for everyone to follow and get used than it would if they had to keep several different forms in mind. For the reasons mentioned above, we recommend the gender asterisk.
Provide all employees with information on gender-appropriate phrasings. This will ensure that everyone understands why and how to use gender-inclusive language correctly. You can, for example, create a style guide, distribute information flyers, share informative links via your intranet or organize a training course or lecture on inclusive language.
Be consistent and use gender-inclusive language when dealing with customers and other stakeholders. But also be aware that gender-inclusive language is only part of what you need to do to make people of all genders feel comfortable in your organisation. Make sure to also consider other areas in which gender norms play a role: E.g. who is allowed to wear what clothes, access to toilets, changing rooms and gender-segregated groups, but also sexist harassment and microaggressions.
What about pronouns?
Of course, nouns are not the only words that can reflect gender. Using gender neutral language also means being mindful of language in general. Many people are particularly concerned about the correct use of pronouns. This is why in the next part of this series, we will discuss what they are and how to use them to refer to everyone correctly and respectfully. Stay tuned!