ESIC Market

Recommendations for inclusive and non-sexist language

Recommendations for inclusive and non-sexist language

Recommendations on the use of inclusive language

ESIC Market advocates for precise, unbiased and intersectional research, meaning research that is sensitive to the complexity and breadth of cultural, biological, economic and social contexts. To this end, it is essential that manuscripts employ inclusive language that is free from biases related to race, functional diversity, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs, ideology or socio-economic status.

Consequently, it is inappropriate to provide information about individuals that is irrelevant to the study, just as it is to ignore subject-specific differences and characteristics when they exist.

The use of labels to designate a group of people as if they were an entity separate from society is also inappropriate, as it contributes to perpetuating stereotypes. Therefore, all expressions that stigmatise or discriminate against groups of people should be avoided.

The negative connotations in expressions and condescending terminology are, in the specific case of people with functional diversity, a tendency that should be avoided.

Regarding race, comparisons between groups, essentialisms or reference to "minorities" are discouraged and deemed inappropriate.

Recommendations on the use of non-sexist language

ESIC Market recommends the use of non-sexist language in texts submitted for publication.

ESIC Market, aware that not all texts can equally accommodate certain linguistic adjustments to meet the standards of egalitarian language, emphasises the importance of ensuring that content promotes equality beyond merely morphological considerations. However, given that language offers various resources and mechanisms to convey meaning, the writers are encouraged to select forms that allow them to express themselves in an inclusive and non-sexist manner.

Thus, although the American Philosophical Association (APA) states that the masculine as the unmarked gender for collective references is commonly accepted, they also recognise it as problematic since it often leads us to omit the distinctive elements of female experience and behaviour. Moreover, there is an increasing demand for formulas that make the role of women and non-binary people visible. Therefore, the use of the generic masculine is not necessarily inappropriate or always discriminatory. Its use is entirely valid and avoids a sexist interpretation if, for example, we also explicitly name the person or persons to whom the term refers.

ESIC Market is therefore committed to the use of inclusive linguistic formulas, as long as they do not alter the meaning of the expression.

The proposals presented here are not exhaustive, although they are the most commonly used. In any case, it is not necessary to choose only one option; different solutions can be alternated throughout the text. Moreover, in each instance, it is advisable to choose the option that best suits the grammatical and contextual circumstances.

One key method for identifying whether a word or expression may imply sexism is to apply the so-called “inversion rule”, which involves replacing the word with its opposite gender. If the result is inappropriate, it should then be replaced with a more inclusive alternative.

The following is a list of the most recommended linguistic formulas to avoid sexist use of language:

- If the names of the individuals being referred to are known, it is advisable to use the grammatical gender that corresponds to their gender.

- In the case of a group consisting of women and men, both feminine and masculine forms should be used, with the gender that has the greater representation mentioned first. For instance, if women are in the majority, the feminine form should be placed first. If the degree of participation is not known, authors may begin with either of the two forms and use them alternatively, or they may choose to use alphabetical order, such as female and male pupils, or female and male doctors. Moreover, plural pronouns (they/them) can be used to avoid misinterpretation. 

- When mentioning an occupation that is traditionally related to one gender, the plural form is advised. Do not assume, for example, that nurses are women and doctors are men. For instance, this can be avoided by saying When nurses are called, they… instead of When a nurse is called, she…. Furthermore, when possible, the gender-neutral form of the occupation should be used (i.e., firefighter instead of fireman, flight attendant instead of stewardess).

- It is advisable to use generic or epicene nouns (i.e., person, subject, individual, character, member, etc.), collective nouns (citizenship, students, team) and abstract nouns (archaeology, authorship, direction). Furthermore, sexual stereotypes can be avoided by using a neutral form of the word when possible. For example: chairperson instead of chairman or humankind instead of mankind. A table with proposed alternative terms and sentence structures can be found in the Gender-Neutral Language: Guidelines published by UNESCO (UNESCO, 1999, pp. 2-5). 

- Gender or sex. Gender is a social construct and a social identity. Use the term gender when referring to people as social groups. For example, when reporting the gender of participants in a study (APA, 2020).

- It is recommended to replace gendered pronouns with neutral articles, such as substituting his or her with the, a or an. For example, My friend must submit her article can be revised to My friend must submit an article. Regarding pronouns, the use of indefinite forms such as everybody, someone, anyone and no one is advisable. Additionally, relative pronouns such as who, whom, that and which can be used in periphrases instead of gendered subjects. For instance, She came to the meeting and brought the files can be modified to The person who came to the meeting brought the files. Moreover, when mentioning transgender or gender-nonconforming people, do not use the term preferred pronouns, since it implies a choice about one’s gender. Use the terms identified pronouns, self-identified pronouns or simply pronouns instead. Please, take into account that the pronouns they/them are recommended to avoid misinterpretation (APA, 2020). 

Other formulas that are also used to avoid sexist language:

- Splitting (use of both feminine and masculine forms of the word). Although this is a very common approach, it must be applied carefully, as an excessive use can compromise the economy of the language and the readability of the text. If it is unavoidable, it is advisable to alternate the feminine and masculine forms throughout the text.

- The @ symbol, slashes (/) or dashes (-) should not be used.

- Explanatory appositions. When the use of the generic masculine is unavoidable, employing explanatory appositions is advisable. However, similar to splitting, their use can impair readability and may become redundant if the clarification is not necessary.

For additional guidelines and support in using non-sexist language, ESIC Market encourages the authors to consult the summary tables at the end of the EIGE Gender-Sensitive Communication Guidelines (EIGE, 2019, pp. 51-58).

References
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the APA (7th ed). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000 

European Institute for Gender Equality [EIGE] (2019). Toolkit on Gender-sensitive Communication. https://eige.europa.eu/publications/toolkit-gender-sensitive-communication 

UNESCO (1999). Gender-Neutral Language: Guidelines. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.