Sexist Terms & Non-sexist Substitutes

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” - Michelle Obama 

We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long road ahead to forge a gender-equal world.

According to the World Economic Forum, sadly none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children. Gender parity will not be attained for almost a century. 

But every change we make, no matter how small, is a step closer to gender equality. Let's change the world one word at a time and start with avoiding sexist language. (And yes, I admit that I am even guilty of it).

So what is sexist language? According to the Cambridge Dictionary, it's described as a language which excludes one sex or the other, or which suggests that one sex is superior to the other. It's also language that unnecessarily identifies gender or shows gender bias.

A few examples:

• Using titles like fireman or policeman ➡️ use firefighter or police (officer)

• Each student chose his topic for his term paper ➡️ leads the reader to assume that all the students in the class were male

• Lady boss, female executive, and words like that. ➡️ People don't stay boy boss or male executive either so why emphasize the "lady" and "female"?

 As a social media manager, I’ve been writing a lot of content for both myself as my clients. So I’ve been mindful of the words that I’ve been using. And I’m doing my very best to be and write more inclusive.

 Because making your copy more inclusive:

• Offends fewer people

• Speaks to a broader audience

• Sells better (think about copy for advertising, marketing & sales purposes)

Here’s a list with a couple of sexist terms and non-sexist substitutes you can use in your copywriting.

Of course, it is hard to find a good substitute for every single word. Think about "human" or ironically "woman". But making a conscious effort to use non-sexist alternatives wherever possible goes a long way.

💡BONUS TIP:

I've been reading a lot of books to improve my copywriting. One of them is The Copywriter's Handbook by Robert Bly. A book I'd absolutely recommend btw! Here's Robert's take on sexist language. When writing copy for no gender in particular, instead of using he/she or him/her throughout your text (which is a big "no-no" for him). Just use he, she, him, and her interchangeably. It does not only read better than the classic "he/she" but both male and female readers will feel addressed.