Gender-sensitive language and communication
Gender-sensitive language and communication
The pursuit of equal opportunities is deeply rooted in the culture of the University of Oldenburg. The fact that university members and staff actively engage with this culture helps to maintain and further develop it. Gender-sensitive language and corresponding communication are an expression of this culture and at the same time shape its future development.
In order to further sharpen the linguistic awareness for respectful interaction between people of all genders at the University of Oldenburg and to sustainably promote communication that is low in discrimination and barriers, a working group led by the Central Equal Opportunities Officer has developed principles of gender-sensitive language and communication for the University of Oldenburg. They were adopted by the University Senate and Presidential Board as the "Guidelines for Gender-Sensitive Language and Communication at the University of Oldenburg".
How respectful behaviour between people of all genders can be implemented linguistically has long been the subject of widespread social debate. Generally recognised rules have not yet been established and many questions remain unresolved. The following tips and suggestions for gender-sensitive communication supplement the guideline and are intended to support its application.
Formulate in a gender-sensitive, clear and inclusive way
The first choice for gender-sensitive communication is reflected gender-neutral wording. As no special characters are required here, this form of gender-sensitive communication is easy to read and low in barriers.
The following strategies can be used (see glossary for specific formulation examples):¹
Substantivised participles or adjectives, plural
z. e.g. students, teachers, employees, elected officials
Neutral terms
z. e.g. list of participants, list of speakers, management, professorship, member, person, guest
Adjectives and participles
z. e.g.
"junior scientist" instead of "junior scientist"
"scientific assessment" instead of "scientist's assessment"
"published by" instead of "publisher"
Verbs
z. e.g. "60 people took part" instead of "There were 60 participants"
Passive voice
z. e.g. "xx must be observed" instead of "Employees must observe xx"
Relative clauses
z. e.g. "people who submit a proposal" instead of "applicants"
Alternative pronouns
z. e.g. "all" instead of "everyone", "nobody" instead of "no one"
Direct address
z. e.g.
"The function is available to you from xx" instead of "Available to users from xx"
"Your signature" instead of "Signature of the applicant"
Job titles
e.g. "The dean Mr Schmidt and the dean Mrs Meier" instead of "The deans Mr Schmidt and Mrs Meier"
Abbreviations
z. e.g.
Signature of the legal guardian
"MTV" instead of "Employees from technology and administration"
It is often easier to reformulate sentences than to simply replace non-gender-sensitive terms. Don't be discouraged if you need a little more time for texts at the beginning. Using gender-sensitive, clear and inclusive wording is also a matter of practice and will soon become a habit.
Dictionary and wording suggestions
¹ see Diewald, G.; Steinhauer, A. (2020): Handbook of gender-sensitive language. How to use appropriate and understandable genders. Berlin. E-book. Chap. 2.4.
Use the asterisk ("gender star") sensibly
If no gender-sensitive terms or formulations can be found and a special character is to be used, the asterisk ("gender star") is used at the University of Oldenburg.
- Special characters are only used in exceptional cases, as they disrupt the flow of reading and speech and are less accessible.
- The use of the asterisk should be limited to the centre of words (e.g. "Schüler*innen").
- A standardised special character is particularly important for a coherent external presentation of the university. Scientific work is not affected by this.
Special characters are a barrier for blind and visually impaired people. The German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBSV) therefore recommends using neutral wording wherever possible. The asterisk is considered to be less accessible than other special characters such as the colon(www.dbsv.org/gendern.html).
You can find suggestions for alternative formulations in our gender-sensitive dictionary.
Choose the right form of address
Respectful interaction between all genders is expressed in particular by addressing people according to the gender to which they assign themselves. People who do not assign themselves to a gender are addressed neutrally.
Examples of how to formally address people and groups of people who assign themselves to a gender
- Dear Mrs Surname/ Dear Mr Surname
- Dear Professor Surname/ Dear Professor Surname
- Dear Dr Surname/ Dear Dr Surname
Formal form of address for a group of people who are assigned to a gender
- Dear Sir or Madam
Examples of the formal form of address for people who do not identify with a gender
- Dear First name Surname
- Hello First name Last name
Examples of neutral forms of address
- Dear members of the commission
- Dear attendees, dear guests
- Dear colleagues
If a person in the group being addressed does not identify with any gender, a neutral form of address is required. An alternative to "Dear Sir or Madam" is not yet in use. A relatively new option is "Dear Sir or Madam".
Address field
The German Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency recommends refraining from using "Mrs" or "Mr" in the address field and using first names and surnames.
Possible references in the signature
It is also possible, for example, to refer to the form of address in the signature. E.g. "We would like to address you respectfully. Please let us know how you would like to be addressed."
In the signature, you can also add a corresponding reference to your own pronoun after your name. E.G:
First name Surname (pronoun: they/their) or
First name Surname (please use first name and surname instead of a pronoun)
Use in English
In English-speaking countries, too, increasing attention is being paid to gender-sensitive language and communication. The criteria mentioned in the guidelines of the University of Oldenburg can be transferred to English texts. In English, too, it is recommended to use neutral and inclusive formulations. While there is no generally valid pronoun in the singular for non-binary persons in German, "they" is now used instead of "he/her" in English. However, the asterisk is not commonly used in English.
The United Nations and the University of North Carolina, for example, provide a good overview of gender-sensitive English language.
Designing images, videos and podcasts in a gender-sensitive way
Images, videos and podcasts convey multi-layered messages. A balanced portrayal of women and men beyond stereotypical roles expresses the promotion of equal opportunities. The unrestricted appreciation of all people regardless of ethnic origin, gender, religion or ideology, disability, age or sexual identity becomes particularly clear when they are appropriately visualised in images and words.
If you would like to find out more about gender- and diversity-sensitive media language, we recommend the handouts from Goethe University Frankfurt.