Bias Free Language

 

How to write without bias Part of writing eectively is knowing and respecting your audience—all members of Part your audience. To accomplish this, it is important to be sensitive to racial, ethnic, age, religious, socioeconomic, political, occupational, and gender groups. By doing so, writers can avoid perpetuating and reinforcing stereotypes. sing unbiased language is a matter of showing respect for and sensitivity to the feelings and beliefs of others.

!voiding Biased "anguage Bias is pre#udice toward or unfair characteri$ation of the members of a particular group. Bias is so common in speech and writing that we often are not even aware of  it. But it is the responsibility responsibility of everyone to become conscious of and write without bias. The following guideline will help you to accomplish this ob#ective.

  %hen writing, avoid using oensive terms when referring to an individual or group of people.

&ot'

 They have hired hired more broads broads this year than men.

&obody used to hire micks around here.

But'

 They have hired hired more women this year than men.

 

&obody used to hire individuals around here of (rish descent.

)oreover, reali$e reali$e that terms once considered to be accurate or acceptable may no longer be and may even be considered oensive. %hen writing about a group of people, use the term that the group currently uses to refer to themselves.

&ot'

(f he is elected, he would be the *rst &egro in the %hite House.

He has had the physical handica handicap p since he was *ve.

 There are are many elderly people people in our tow town. n.

But'

(f he is elected, he would be the *rst !frican !merican in the %hite House.

He has had the physical impair impairment ment since he was *ve.

 There are are many senior citi$ens citi$ens +or seniors seniors in our our town.

!void e-pressions that stereotype a group of people, even when the stereotype is a positive one.

&ot'

 

(m sorry/ ( must have been having a blonde moment.

0ur neighbor drives like a farmer.

1ho 2ung, a 1hinese e-change student, is of course good at science.

3ince the surgery, my father moves like an old fogy.

But'

(m sorry/ ( must not have understood what you said.

0ur neighbor is a slow driver.

1ho 2ung, a hard4working e-change student, does well in science.

3ince the surgery, my father moves more slowly.

!voiding 5ender Bias 5ender bias in language, or se-ist language, is language that stereotypes or demeans an individual or individuals because of their gender. "anguage that is se-ist unnecessarily distinguishes between or brings attention to dierences between men and women in ability, temperament, behavior, or occupation. 3uch language, whether used intentionally or unintentionally, unintentionally, often irritates or oends readers. Thus, writers should pay attention to their style to avoid gender bias.

5eneric Pronouns  Traditionally,  T raditionally, he maleHowever, pronouns pronounsmany were were readers used to feel represent represent all all members of ahe group, regardless of tthe gender. that using the generic and him

 

and similar pronouns encourages and reinforces gender4role stereotyping—that is, the belief that men are more able or better4suited to hold a certain occupation or status in society or the like. (n order to avoid gender bias, do not use male pronouns to refer to people in general.

&ot'

Please remind everyone to bring his notepad and pen or laptop to the meeting.

)ark each potential donors name o the list after you have talked to him.

6very person ( talked to said he could come to the company party.

 To  To *- this problem, problem, one option is to use both both the male and female pro pronouns. nouns.

But'

Please remind everyone to bring his or her notepad and pen or laptop to the meeting.

)ark each potential donors name o the list after you have talked to him or her.

6very person ( talked to said he or she could come to the company party.

 This construction construction can become become distracting distracting when overused, overused, however. however. To To avoid this, you can also change the sentence to use the plural form of the pronoun. )ake sure when you do so that you change the noun that the pronoun refers to to the plural form, as well.

 

6-amples'

Please remind team members to bring their notepad and pen or laptop to the meeting.

)ark potential donors names o the list after you have talked to them.

!ll the people ( talked to said they could come to the company party.

(n longer te-ts, you can alternate the use of gender pronouns, using he in one paragraph 7or section, chapter, e-ample, and so forth8 and she in another, for instance. 79eep in mind that some readers, however, may *nd this method somewhat distracting.8 distracting.8 (f you use this method, try to use pronouns that counter established stereotypes.

6-amples'

0n her *rst day of work, each airplane mechanic should complete all of the necessary new4hire paperwork.

6very doctor should carry her pager with her when she is on call.

Before leaving work each day, the secretary should write down his most important tasks to be completed the ne-t day.

0r, you can also recast the sentence and remove the pronoun reference completely.

6-amples'

 

0n the *rst day of work, each airplane mechanic should complete all of the necessary new4hire paperwork.

6very doctor should carry a pager when on call.

Before leaving work each day, the secretary should write down the most important tasks to be completed the ne-t day.

3ome writers have responded to the singular pronoun problem by replacing the generic he with the generic she. This simply replaces one gender bias with another, however, and so this practice should likewise be avoided.

&ot'

6ach employee should record daily the hours she spends on each pro#ect.

6very member of our sta gives her very best eort.

!fter the three4month probation period, a new employee can elect her medical and other bene*ts.

But'

6ach employee should record daily the hours he or she spends on each pro#ect.

!ll members of our sta give their very best eort.

!fter the three4month probation period, a new employee can elect medical and other bene*ts.

 

 Though in speech we often often use the plural plural pronoun pronoun with a singular noun noun 7particularly 7particularly when preserving the anonymity of a person8, this construction construction should be avoided in formal writing.

&ot'

6ach member of the board denied that they were involved in the matter.

0ne sta member said they would not be able to attend the training.

6very manager agreed that they would come to the summit meeting.

But'

6ach member of the board denied being involved in the matter.

0ne sta member said he or she would not be able to attend the training.

 The managers agreed that that they would come come to the summit meeting. meeting.

!nd *nally, avoid such constructions as he:she and s:he,as they are awkward and unattractive.

&ot'

 The release release forms must must be signed by each contractor contractor before before s:he can be hired. hired.

 

6ach new hire should bring his:her completed documentation documentation on the *rst day of work.

But'

 The release release forms must must be signed by each contractor contractor before before he or she can be hired. hired.

&ew hires should bring their completed documentation on the *rst day of work.

%ord %or d 1hoice 1hoic e ;o not use man, boy, and the like 7or words containing such pre*-es or suuous information informa tion that unnecessarily unnecessarily dierentiates between genders or calls attention to the gender or gender role of an individual.

&ot'

 ?an is going to school to become a lady doctor doctor..

 ?e ;avies is a superb secretary, secretary, despite despite the fact that that he is a man.

)ark )endenhall, a manager, and "inda ;ecker, a supervisor and mother of two, are vying for the position.

But'

 ?an is going to school to become a doctor. doctor.

 ?e ;avies is a superb secretary secretary.

)ark )endenhall, a manager, and "inda ;ecker, a supervisor, are vying for the position.

 This rule applies applies when giving e-amples, e-amples, as well. (f you consistently consistently use e-amples e-amples that portray men and women in their @traditional@ roles, you are reinforcing long4 held stereotypes. (nstead, use e-amples that challenge these stereotypes.

 

&ot'

 The men in our department are are good employees as as well as good good breadwinners. breadwinners.

 Three out out of four women prefer o our ur brand of dish soap.

But'

 The people in our department department are good good employees as well well as good breadwinners breadwinners..

 Three out out of four customers customers prefer prefer our brand brand of dish soap. soap.

Aurthermore, do not use language that is demeaning or patroni$ing to either gender.

&ot'

3he is an e-cellent manager, for a woman.

Aor a male, hes a rather competent nurse.

 The women on our our sta—those sta—those who havent left left to become stay4at4home stay4at4home mother— mother— are hard4working and loyal.

But'

3he is an e-cellent manager.

 

Hes a rather competent nurse.

 The women +or better, the employees employees on our sta sta are hard4working hard4working and loyal.

5ender4&eutral Terms Biased

nbiased

businessman

businessperson

chai airrman man

chai airr, chair airper ers son, on, head ead

clerg cle rgyma yman n

member member of the clerg clergy, y, minist minister, er, pastor pastor

1ong 1o ngrressm essman an

me memb mber er of 1ong 1ongrress, ess, legi legisl slat ator or,, repr epresen esenta tati tive ve

*reman

*re*ghter

foreman

supervisor

mail ma ilma man n

le lett tter er carr carrie ier, r, mail mail car carrier rier,, post postal al work worker er

mankind

humankind, humans, people

manp ma npow ower er

Perso ersonn nnel el,, sta  sta 

pol olic icem eman an

polic olice e oi ghtt at atte tend ndan antt

waitress:waiter

server

!voiding acial Bias !nother form of bias is racial or ethnic bias, which stereotypes or demeans others based on their race or ethnicity. Blatantly derogatory statements, such as racial slurs, are unacceptable in any conte-t.

&ot'

 

! family of Polacks moved into their neighborhood last month.

 They have hired hired several ?aps in in our department department in the last last year year..

But'

! Polish family moved into their neighborhood last month. 70r, better, @! new family moved into their neighborhood last month.@8

 They have hired hired several ?apanese ?apanese employees for our depart department ment in the last year year.. 70r, better, @They have hired several ?apanese employees for our department in the last year.@@8

3uch distinctions distinctions based on race should be made only if they are important to the conte-t. 0therwise, it is unnecessary and inappropriate to mention an individuals or groups ethnicity. ethnicity.

(n addition to racial slurs, racial bias also includes humor targeted at a particular group. 3uch #okes are never appropriate.

!s is the case with gender bias, racial and ethnic bias can be perpetuated by thoughtless or repeated use of negative e-amples, such as referring to black unmarried mothers receiving welfare or )e-icans being illegal aliens. 3uch obviously biased, and generally e-aggerated or inaccurate, e-amples should be avoided.

Aurthermore, as indicated above, terms used to identify a group of people often acCuire negative connotations over time. Aor this reason, it is not always easy to determine the correct or currently acceptable name for a group. Therefore, when referring to a group of people, use the term that they currently use to refer to themselves. (f you are not sure what that term is, ask a member of the group.

 

&ot'

( believe this region was once the primary home of the 6skimos.

! large number of (ndians attend my sons school.

)any 0riental students study at that university.

But'

( believe this region was once the primary home of the (nuit people.

! large number of &ava#o children attend my sons school.

)any !sian students study at that university.

!voiding !ge Bias (n the nited 3tates and various other countries, looking and feeling young is considered by many to be very important. Perhaps because of this obsession with perpetual youth, aging, and particularly becoming @old,@ are sometimes looked down upon. However, it is unacceptable to show disrespect or disregard for individuals beyond a certain age, #ust as it is unacceptable to show bias toward any group.

!void using demeaning terms to refer to older individuals.

&ot'

 

)y manager, )r. %inchester, #ust had his DEth birthday. &ow hes de*nitely over the hill.

)rs. ?ensen, that old biddy, sometimes reCuires reCuires too much of her employees.

But'

)y manager, )r. %inchester, #ust had his DEth birthday.

)rs. ?ensen sometimes reCuires too much of her employees.

!lso, avoid e-amples, illustrations, and #okes that are disrespectful or that reinforce negative stereotypes based on someones age.

!voiding 0ther Types of Bias (n addition to avoiding gender, ethnic and racial, and age bias, it is important to not stereotype stereoty pe or demean individuals based on occupation, religion, religion, economic class, political beliefs, intellectual or physical impairments, and so forth. !gain, when referring to a particular group, use the term that they prefer to use themselves.

&ot'

 ?ohn ;unn is is a right4winged right4winged fanatic.

He works as a #anitor in our building.

"uke %eston, a poor working man, barely makes FGD,EEE a year.

 

)ary ?ane will be mentally retarded for life.

But'

 ?ohn ;unn is is a dedicated conservative.

He works as a custodian in our building.

"uke %eston, a member of the working class, barely makes FGD,EEE a year. 70r better' @"uke %eston makes FGD,EEE a year.@8

)ary ?ane will have an intellectual impairment impairment for life.

!voiding 6uphemisms %hen writing to avoid bias, it is also important to be cautious when using euphemisms. ! euphemism is a mild or vague word or phrase that is substituted for one thought to be oensive or blunt. 3uch words should be avoided when they are simply used in irony or derisively as a means of mocking political correctness.  Though they have have their place place 7as when a speaker speaker o orr writer is genuinely trying trying to be tactful or sensitive to anothers feelings8, euphemisms can be unnecessarily wordy and indirect. Therefore, when avoiding bias, use euphemisms appropriately.

&ot'

%hen your hair turns white and your face has more character, talk to us about helping you meet your long4term care care needs.

 Those in our country with a darker skin color are are more more susceptible to to strokes. strokes.

 

But'

(f you would like more information, talk to us about helping you meet your long4term care needs.

!frican !mericans are more susceptible to strokes than other !mericans.