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I-« Sex differences » or « Gender differences »!?
NB: Sometimes it is hard to understand exactly what is meant by the term « Gender », and how it differs from the closely related term « Sex ».
-Many people use the two words incorrectly, as interchangeable, when they signify two very different things:
a- « Sex » refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that separate male from female.
b- « Gender » refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.
II-Why gender matters in teaching?
Sexist Language:
It’s the act of excluding either men or women when discussing a topic that is applicable to both sexes. Among the common errors that show gender bias is assuming that the subject of all sentences is male. Men become the norm & women the ‘other’.
Example: a-‘‘Each student chose his own topic…’’, leads the reader to assume that all the students are males.b-(‘‘Each student chose his/her topic…’’. This is an easy edit that introduces stylistic clunkers such as ‘his/her’ & ‘s/he’ or the questionable grammar for a mixed version such as:
‘‘One should wash their hands every day’’( ‘one’ is singular, but ‘their’ is plural)
One of the underlying contributions to this issue is the attitudes we have towards each other based on gender stereotypes.Two questions for boys & girls:1-What does it mean to ‘‘ Act Like a Man’’ in our society?
(Answers: tough, muscles, be a leader, rough sports, don’t cry, strong, nothing stands in the way …)
2-What does it mean to be « Ladylike » in our society?
(Answers: pretty, nice, polite, gentle, sensitive, cry all the time, well dressed, good manners, don’t fight, loyal, depend on guys …)
III-Where do we learn these attitudes?
-Peers;-Family;-Magazines;-TV;-Movies;-Video games;-School;-(…)
VI-How can we opt for a gender neutral language in teaching?
‘‘ A good policeman knows his duty’’.
‘‘ A good police officer knows his/her duty’’.
‘‘Good police officers know their duty’’.
Remarks:
The first phrase unnecessarily excludes women;
Replacing ‘‘his’’ with ‘‘his / her’’ in the second phrase will sound tedious;
Pluralizing is often a good solution:(Good police officers know their duty.)
Activity/Quiz:
The following sentences contain gender bias which we should remove by using gender neutral language.
NB: Grammar changes to meet the needs of its users:
Sentence 1:‘‘ A professor should correct his students' papers according to this set of predetermined guidelines’’.
Grammar’s version:‘‘Professors should correct their students' papers according to this set of predetermined guidelines’’.
Sentence 2:
‘‘From the beginning of time, mankind used horses in one way or another’’.
Grammar’s version:
‘‘From the beginning of time, humans used horses in one way or another’’.
Sentence 3:
‘‘Are there any freshmen who would like to work in the Writing Center?’’
Grammar’s version:
‘‘Are there any first-year students who would like to work in the Writing Center?’’
Sentence 4:
‘‘The stewardess served the chicken picatta to the pompous gentleman’’.
Grammar’s version:
‘‘The flight attendant served the chicken picatta to the pompous gentleman’’.
Sentence 5:
‘‘Shannon was hoping a doctor would give his opinion’’.
Grammar’s v ersion:
‘‘Shannon was hoping a doctor would give an opinion’’.
Sentence 6:
‘‘The authoress, Mary Higgins Clark, hosted a book signing at Barnes and Noble ’’.
.
Grammar’s version:
‘‘The author, Mary Higgins Clark, hosted a book signing at Barnes and Noble’’.
Sentence 7:
‘‘Ask Hayden's mother to pack him a better lunch in the future’’.
Grammar’s version:
‘‘Ask Hayden's parents to pack him a better lunch in the future’’.
Sentence 8:
‘‘A college is a corner of men's hearts where hope has not died. Here the prison house has not closed; here no battle is yet quite lost. Here, we assert, endow, and defend as final reality the best of our dream as men. Here lies our sense of community. ’’ __ Howard Lowry
How would we write this piece of text differently today?
How about: "A college is a corner of our hearts where hope has not died"? and "Here, we assert, endow, and defend as final reality the best of our dreams."?
We certainly have not improved upon the sound of Lowry's words, but have we lost anything by these changes? Probably not much, and what we have lost, we've more than gained by decreasing the chances of offending or marginalizing an entire gender from the definition of a college — something that would never have entered Howard Lowry's unbiased mind and generous heart.
V-Pluralizing or alternating the gender of the people:
‘‘A writer should sharpen her pencils daily. A reader should keep his eyes open’’.More widely accepted strategies for avoiding sexist language include pluralizing:
‘‘Writers should sharpen their pencils. Readers should keep their eyes open’’.
Conclusion
If we change the way we teach, we will change the way we think, so that we do not perpetuate the imbalanced cultural view that shaped our language.
References:http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/grammar-and-syntax/gender-neutral-language/
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/nova/nova6.htm
http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/sexist-language.html
http://www.eduguide.org/library/viewarticle/33
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001149/114950mo.pdf
