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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Application
Responsibility
Complaints Procedure
Guide for
Referring to Minority Groups
Aborigines
and Torres Strait Islanders
Dreamtime, Myths
and Legends
Tribe
People with Disabilities
Ethnic Minority Groups
Guidelines
for Gender Inclusive Language
What is it
False Generics
Unaffected Words
Generalisations
and Cliches
Avoid Possible
Alternative
The Personal Pronoun
Sex Role
Stereotyping and Status Issues
Stereotyping
Avoid Possible
Alternative
Demeaning
and Patronising Expressions
Status
APPENDIX 1
As part of its Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
initiatives, the University of Wollongong endorses a
policy of non-discriminatory language practice and presentation
in all academic and administrative activities of the
University.
Accordingly, the University will -
- promote the use of non-discriminatory language
and presentation in all University of Wollongong documents
and publications
- promote the use of non-discriminatory teaching
practice in classrooms
- develop guidelines and regulations for students'
use of non-discriminatory language in their written
work and oral presentations
- establish a procedure for settling complaints and
grievances about discriminatory language, presentation,
and teaching practices
- inform all staff of their responsibilities under
the policy, and of the existence of a complaints procedure;
and distribute suitable educational material to assist
staff in compliance.
Application
This policy has been developed to assist University
staff in avoiding uses of language which may appear
to exclude some groups of people or which may gratuitously
give offence. It is directed toward the elimination
of stereotyping, perpetuation of false assumptions and
discrimination in University processes.
This policy applies -
- to all presentation and practice by staff in teaching
and administrative activities
- in face-to-face dealings amongst staff and between
staff and students
- to students' written work and oral presentations.
Responsibility
The Heads of Departments will be responsible for implementation
and monitoring of the policy and for responding to complaints.
Complaints Procedure
Students or staff with complaints or concerns should
approach the Head of their Department or Unit, or if
preferred, one of the following -
- the Employment Equity & Diversity Co-ordinator
- the Dean of Students
- Counselling Services.
Guidelines
for Referring to Minority Groups
Aborigines
and Torres Strait Islanders
An Aborigine is a person of Aboriginal descent who
identifies as an Aborigine and is accepted as such by
the community in which he or she lives.
The words 'aborigine' or 'aboriginal' refer to the
people living in a country at its earliest period. In
order to refer specifically to the indigenous inhabitants
of Australia, the words should always be treated as
proper nouns or adjectives, and begin with a capital
letter.
Aboriginal is the adjective pertaining to Aborigine
and should not be used as a noun. (Please note that
this equity statement overrules the advice of many style
manuals on this topic.)
Note that the term 'Aborigine' is a general one referring
to the Australian Aboriginal race as a whole. When practicable,
it is preferable to be more specific. Koori is the name
by which Aborigines living in Southern NSW, Victoria,
and Tasmania refer to themselves. Murri people come
from the northern part of NSW and most of Queensland,
while Goori people live on the NSW central coast. Aboriginal
people from these groups make up most of the Wollongong
Aboriginal population, although there is a growing contingent
of Aborigines from other parts of Australia as well
as Torres Strait Islanders. Torres Strait Islands have
in the past been considered Aborigines, but this is
no longer the case. They are a distinctly different
race of people and wish to be recognised as such.
Dreamtime,
Myths and Legends
Aboriginal religious creation stories are often referred
to as myths or legends. The words dream, myth and legend
all carry connotations of invalidity. Aboriginal religious
beliefs and stories are just as valid as those of any
other spiritual or religious group, and so more careful
and appropriate terminology is required.
Tribe
The word 'tribe' has negative connotations for many
Kooris. More suitable terms are clan or family groups.
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Note:
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Care should be taken with terms like 'traditional'
and 'primitive' to describe present day Koori
culture and society. Traditional implies a static
quality which may not be reflected in reality
in Koori society, and primitive is a value-laden
and imprecise term.
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People
with Disabilities
Many people with disabilities understandably resent
the impersonal terms used to describe them because these
ignore their individuality and imply that a disability
necessarily means general incapacity to perform many
tasks and activities. We are all differently abled.
It is important that we avoid stereotyping and depersonalisation
by not emphasising the disability, but rather focusing
on the individual.
The term 'people with disabilities' is therefore preferred
to the disabled, the handicapped, or disabled people,
because it is recognised that a disability is only one
characteristic of an individual and does not indicate
a general lack of ability or capacity.
Similarly, in relation to specific disabilities, it
is preferable to use terms such as 'people with epilepsy',
'people who are deaf or hearing impaired', 'people who
are blind or vision impaired', rather than collective
nouns such as epileptics or the blind.
Confusion in the use of the term 'disability' and related
terms can be clarified by referred to the following
World Health Organisation definitions:
Impairment is any loss or abnormality
of structure or function whether psychological, physiological
or anatomical.
Disability is any loss or reduction of
functional ability and activity that is consequent upon
impairment.
Disadvantage is the obstacle resulting
from an impairment or a disability. Disadvantage represents
the social and environmental consequences to the individual
stemming from the presence of impairment and disability.
These definitions can be more clearly illustrated by
example: spinal cord damage of a person with paraplegia
is an impairment; its effect on the person's ability
to walk is a disability; if the person's access to tertiary
education studies if affected by difficulties in access
to buildings, to transport, or by discriminatory attitudes,
then they suffer a disadvantage.
Whether a disability entails a disadvantage depends
on an individual's social and physical environment,
as well as the nature and extent of the disability.
The term 'impairment' includes those
which are not visible. Conditions such an anaemia, epilepsy,
heart disease and chronic pain are often described as
"hidden disabilities". Some people may have an impairment
which is perceived by others as resulting in some degree
of disadvantage, even if there is no functional disability.
For example, physical deformities may constitute a disadvantage
only because of social attitudes.
Ethnic
Minority Groups
There is much controversy regarding the most appropriate
terminology to use. The following definitions may assist
the word selection for a particular context:
- Ethnic Group can be described in an objective sense
as people who share a particular national origin,
religion, language, or culture. Linking such objective
factors with a subjective identification is probably
more useful so that ethnicity involves a 'sense of
peoplehood'.
The term 'ethnic group' can be misleading, because everyone
belongs to an ethnic group, not just those who are of
non-Anglo-Celtic origins. Ethnic is the adjective pertaining
to 'ethnicity' and should not be used as a noun.
- Immigrant means a person who takes up residence
in a country other than his/her birthplace.
The term 'migrant' actually refers to a person who moves
from one place to another. This term is often used to
mean 'immigrant' in the sense defined above. However,
immigrant is the preferred and more accurate term where
it is permanent settlement to which we are referring.
Migrant is sometimes inappropriately used to refer to
people of non-English speaking background generally,
whether or not they were born overseas or in Australia.
- People of Non-English Speaking Background
This term refers to people:
- who have migrated to Australia and whose first
language is one other than English;
- born in Australia but one or both parents' first
language was not English.
People of non-English speaking background (NESB) is
the term most commonly used within an equal opportunity
background. Another acceptable term is People with a
Language Background other than English (LBOTE).
- Ethnicity is another ideological and controversial
concept denoting 'a sense of peoplehood', a feeling
of belonging and sharing in a common culture, way
of life, nationality or religion. Ethnicity is maintained
through a process of self-ascription and ascription
by others.
- Multiculturalism is a term commonly used to convey
either of two meanings. One is a factual description
of the Australian population, which comprises a wide
range of people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
The other meaning describes a social ideal. It refers
to policies, institutional arrangements and community
attitudes that appreciate the diversity of Australian
society and how this diversity can enrich Australian
life. It recognises that to achieve a just, equitable
and harmonious society, there must be no economic or
social disadvantages arising from ethnic, racial or
cultural background, and that the right to maintain
distinctive cultural identities should exist unimpaired
by any form of discrimination.
Much language use in Australia tends to either stereotype
ethnic and cultural minorities or make them invisible.
For instance, our society now consists of many people
holding religious beliefs other than Christian, or non
at all, and it is inappropriate to request a person's
'Christian name' when we are seeking given name identification.
Asking for someone's first name is also inappropriate
for the naming practices of many Asian people. It is
preferable to request surname or family name rather
than last name, and given name rather than first name.
Guidelines
for Gender Inclusive Language
What
is it?
Gender inclusive language is often referred to as non-sexist
language. It is language that treats women and men equally.
It does not exclude one gender nor demean their status.
It does not stereotype, nor suggest false generics,
nor make irrelevant gender references.
False
Generics
The term 'man' can be ambiguous because of its traditional
dual meaning. One meaning refers to an adult male and
the other to the human species. Research indicates that
people tend to visualise males when they are asked to
describe or define words such as foreman or chairman.
In this way, language reinforces inequality, misrepresenting
and excluding women. It is therefore no longer appropriate
to use man as a generic term as it is confusing and
discriminatory.
Usually it is not difficult to substitute appropriate
expressions. It is nonetheless important to select a
relevant and accurate alternative.
Avoid Possible Alternative
ancient man ancient people or civilisation
chairman chairperson, chair, moderator, convenor
foreman supervisor
man in the street ordinary or average citizen
mankind humanity, humankind
man-made handcrafted, synthetic, handmade, artificial
manned staffed
manpower labour, staffing, workforce
newsmen reporters, journalists, media
sportsmanship sense of fair play
Unaffected
Words
Some similar looking words are not compounds incorporating
the gender-specific word 'man' and these do not have
to be considered. Examples of these are:
manage }
manipulate }
manual } derived from manus (Latin for hand)
manufacturer }
manuscript }
human derived from humanus (Latin for human)
Generalisations
and Cliches
Historically, women's contributions have often been
overlooked through use of words or phrases which neglect
the reality that women's experiences are usually different
from those of men. Cliches tend often to have the same
effect and should be reworded.
Avoid
Possible Alternative
brotherhood of man human family, global community
forefathers ancestors, forebears
founding fathers founders, pioneers
man-sized job demanding task, big job
The
Personal Pronoun
Inaccuracies arise when he is used generically to substitute
for a neutral third person singular pronoun. Current
research indicates that he is rarely interpreted as
including she, particularly by children, who take the
word quite literally. There are a number of alternatives
available:
- Recast subjects into the plural form Alternative
eg. when a student appeals, he must... When students
appeal, they must.
- Recast the sentence, using 'one' or 'you'
eg. You should fill in the application One should use
one's own handwriting in your own handwriting. when
completing the application.
- Eliminate problems by deleting the pronoun
eg. Each student must pay his fees by... Each student
must pay fees by...
- Use 'his or her', 'he/she' instead of the masculine
pronoun
eg. Everyone must exercise his right... Everyone must
exercise his or her right...
Sex
Role Stereotyping and Status Issues
Stereotyping
Sex role stereotyping occurs when people assume that
engineers, farmers, accountants, plumbers or mechanics
are always men. It can also occur in portrayals which
assume that women are always wives and mothers, men
breadwinners or that all childcare workers and nurses
are female, while firefighters and police officers are
male. It is important to avoid expressions that are
implicitly sexist.
Avoid
Possible Alternative
New academics require removal costs for New academics
require removal costs for their wives and children.
families.
All Administrative and their wives are invited. All
Administrative staff and their partners are invited.
We are looking for a supervisor who is his own man.
We are looking for a supervisor with a sense of independence
and integrity.
Demeaning
and Patronising Expressions
Many women object to the insensitive use of the terms
'lady' and 'girl'. Girl should only be used for young
women of primary and secondary school age. A female
shop assistant should not be called a salesgirl, just
as a male would not be called a salesboy. Using the
term 'girl' tends to denote inferior status, as in calendar
girl or girl Friday. More neutral terms for these examples
would be model and office assistant.
Condescension or patronisation is frequently implied
with the term 'lady'. Women often find words such as
tea lady or cleaning lady objectionable. The terms 'attendant'
or 'cleaner' are far more appropriate in today's society.
Lady should only be used when gentleman would be appropriate
for a male in the same situation.
Status
Equivalent terms should be used when dealing with men
and women. Husband and wife are equivalent terms; man
and wife are not. It is also not appropriate to address
a man by his surname, while calling a woman by her given
name or her title.
APPENDIX 1
References
University Guidelines
Davies, B (1983), Towards Non-Sexist Language, Federation
of Australian University Staff Associations
Deakin University (1987), Inclusive Language Guidelines,
(internally published University document)
La Trobe University (1985), Use of Non-Sexist Language,
Council minutes 196.17(v), C85/29, and 199.10.3 (internally
published University document)
Queensland University of Technology (1991), Policy
and Guidelines on Non-Discriminatory Presentation and
Practice,(internally publish University document)
Ramson, W (1985), Guidelines on Non-Sexist Language
for the Australian National University, (internally
published University document)
University of Adelaide (1982), 'Language in Written
Communications' in Women at the University of Adelaide,
(internally published University document)
Other Guidelines
Banks, TL (1988), Gender Bias in the Classroom, Journal
of Legal Education, No 137
Canadian Ministry of National Health and Welfare (1983),
Guidelines for the Elimination of Sexual Stereotypng
in Language and Visual Material
Fesl, Eve D (1987), How the English Language is Used
To Put Aborigines Down, Deny Us Rights, or is Employed
as a Political Tool Against Us, Monash University
Marshall, I and Rowland, F (1981), 'Discriminatory
Language and Attitudes',
A Guide to Learning Independently, Londman Cheshire,
Melbourne
McGraw Hill (1979), Guidelines for Equal Treatment
of the Sexes, McGraw-Hill Book Company Publications
Miller, C and Swift, K (1980), The Handbook of Non-Sexist
Writing, Lippincott and Crowell, New York
Miller, C and Swift, K (1981), The Handbook of Non-Sexist
Writing for Writers, Editors and Speakers, The Women's
Press Limited
Office of the Status of Women (1983), Fair Exposure:
Guidelines for the Constructive and Positive Portrayal
and Presentation of Women in the Media, AGPS, Canberra
Office of the Status of Women (1983), draft chapter
'Inclusive Language' for Style Manual for Authors, Editors
and Printers, 4th Edition, AGPS, Canberra
Standing Committee on Spoken English (1984), Non-Sexist
Language Guidelines, Australian Broadcasting Commission
Guidelines for the Elimination of Sexual Stereotyping
in Language and Visual Material (1983), published by
authority of the Minister of National Health and Welfare
Guidelines for Equal Treatment of the Sexes, McGraw-Hill
Book Company Publications
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