Universitetet i Manchester UK har kommet med en ny instruks for hvordan ansatte skal forholde seg til blant annet kjønn og språk. Og ikke overraskende: alt som minner om kjønn skal bort. Det er ikke lenger kvinne eller menn, men folk. Her er lista:
Sex and gender identity
The language around sex and gender identity is evolving constantly and it is important to understand the difference between them.
‘Sex’ is biological (male, female or intersex) and relates to genes, internal/external reproductive organs and hormones inherited at birth.
‘Gender’ can be fixed or fluid and refers to our internal sense of who we are and how we see and describe ourselves.
Binary gender terms (man/woman, girl/boy) have traditional associations with sex, but we now recognise how some people identify with a gender opposite to that assigned to them as a child (trans) and others identify neither as men nor women (non-binary or genderfluid).
We use gender-neutral terms, rather than those that make sex distinction:
- You or they/their/them, not he/she or him/her
- People/person or individual(s), rather than man/men or woman/women
- Everyone/colleagues, rather than ladies and gentlemen/guys
- Parent or guardian, rather than mother or father
- Partner, rather than husband or wife
- Sibling, rather than brother or sister
- Artificial or synthetic, rather than man-made
- Humankind, not mankind
- Workforce, not manpower
- We provide cover or staff, rather than to ‘man’
Most occupations/roles need not be gender-defined:
- Chair, not chairman
- Scientist or lecturer, rather than female scientist or male lecturer
- Police officer, not policeman/police woman
- Spokesperson, not spokesman
Where it is not clear what, if any, gendered pronouns or nouns are appropriate for an individual, ask and respect their wishes.
