Gender-neutral language can impact societal gender biases, says new study.
The study revolves around Swedish gender-neutral pronoun “hen”, which was adopted into the language in 2015. Results from the study insinuate including a third pronoun can expand people’s view on gender.
Adam Rogers of Wired reports that the new study investigates the impact of the word “hen” a gender-neutral pronoun of the Swedish language. Published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study suggests that the included nonbinary pronoun introduced new ideas of gender to people and increases inclusivity.
Rogers explains that “hen” first appeared in the Swedish language in 2012 in the children’s book by Jesper Lundquist. Lundquist worked on an editorial explaining how “life should imitate art.” However, the word caused a controversy, says Rogers. The Swedish Language Council, an authority on the Swedish Language, was against the new word. It was not until 2015 that the council reversed the decision and accepted “hen” into the Swedish language.
Now, four years after that decision, UCLA political psychologist Efrén Pérez and Margit Tavits of the Washington University in Missouri, ran the study on more than 2,000 native Swedish speakers to test if the inclusive language had impacted culture. Pérez and Tavits believed that the inclusion of the third pronoun could result in more visibility for women and LGBT people.
When Pérez and Tavits finished the study, they found it support their idea that the additional pronoun had removed the male default, giving more visibility to women and LGBT people. The results also added to the idea that the words available to a person determines how they view the world. With an additional pronoun, it’s possible that the Swedish people have become more open to non-binary genders as the newness of the word has worn off, says Peréz.
Ina Sample of The Guardian provided comments by other researchers about how the results of the study present evidence about the connection between language and gender. Sabine Sczesny, social psychology professor at the University of Bern considered the study as evidence of how nongendered language could promote equality and reduce bias. Laura Russell of Stonewall said: “The language we use is important, especially when it comes to describing or referencing someone’s identity.
Research from Bustle shows how language demonstrates power dynamics within societies. This dominance can affect people’s perception in their everyday lives. Jay Polish of Bustle reports: “This kind of linguistic sexism is even reflected in the supposedly benign process of naming hurricanes, with hurricanes that are assigned traditional women’s names being perceived as less serious. This perception leads to lower evacuation rates and higher death rates associated with hurricanes with traditional women’s names.”
A small change in language is a step toward a more reduce gender bias in society, says Jay Polish of Bustle. Polish continues, explaining how the study provides evidence that using a gender-neutral pronoun decreases gender stereotypes. One example is it can reduce male gender bias in hiring practices. Another is that those of unspecified gender can be referred to with neutral language, decreasing gender association with certain careers. Not only are gender-neutral pronouns valid, states Polish, but vital to social equality.
https://www.bustle.com/p/gender-neutral-language-reduces-sexist-bias-a-new-study-says-18551594
https://www.wired.com/story/actually-gender-neutral-pronouns-can-change-a-culture/