1. A Multidisciplinary
Approach to Sexism
in Language
M. Hiddas; ENS, Meknes

2. Sexism as a concept and behaviour
• The term sexism was coined by Pauline M.
Leet in US in 1965 as a model on Racism.
• Sexism in language involves words or
expressions that carry negative,
discriminatory attitudes towards people on
gender bases.
• People’s gender: involving mainly males and
females.
• Male sexism and Female sexism.

3. Male sexism in language
• Theories and constructs have been developed
since first feminist wave.
Worth mentioning:
• Hostile versus benevolent sexism
- Hostile sexism: manifest in people’s words and
actions.
- Benevolent sexism: perceives women as “pure
creatures who ought to be protected, supported,
and adored and whose love is necessary to make
a man complete” (Glick and Fiske, 2001: 109).

4. Benevolent sexism:
 A formidable enemy to women; it
goes camouflaged under the cover
of cherishment.
 Many women like or accept being
cherished and, therefore, admit
sexism massively and easily.
 It aims to keep women socially and
psychologically docile and inferior
to men.
 It justifies and feeds hostile sexism
 It averts criticism.

5. Generic “he”
• Dear Ladies and gentlemen, if someone loses his
way, no one can help him; he can help himself by
using the map which has now become his.
• Dear fathers, if someone loses his way, no one
can help him; he can help himself by using the
map which has now become his.
• Dear mothers, if someone loses his way, no one
can help him; he can help himself by using the
map which has now become his.

6. Generic “she”!
• Dear ladies and gentlemen, if someone loses
her way, no one can help her; she can help
herself by using the map which has now
become hers.

7. A direct feminist riposte
Generic “she”

8. Alternatives to generic “he”
• Reformulation:
plural they, generic you, plural
eg: If someone loses his way, they
can use the map…
• Replacement:
he or she -- he/she -- s/he --
(s)he -- she or he -- she/he
thon , co , se , yo , e,
hu , zhe , phe

9. • Generic “man”:
All men are mortal, Sara is a man; therefore,
Sara is mortal. (Mind a feminist riposte!)
• Asymmetrical pairs:
[bachelor – spinster]
- Bachelor: a man who has never been married.
- Spinster: a woman who is not married,
especially an older woman who is not likely
to marry.

10. • Longer sexist statements:
- Women are the snares of Satan.
- Long hair, short wit.
- Behind every successful man is a woman.
- Beware two things: a winter blue sky and a
praying crone.
- All women are whores, except those who
can’t (be so).

11. Do generic words actually
enhance generic images?

12. 115 Baccalaureate students
52 males
63 females

13. Instrument: attribution

14. Singer

15. Impartial linguistic
representation
Female Male
image image
50% 50%

16. Result: general mental
representation
Female
Male
image
image
42%
58%

17. 41,15% - 58,85% 42,30% - 57,70%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
Female image
30.00% Male Image
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Females Males

18. Conclusion to the study
• Which enhances which, sexism or
language?
- Language reflects rather than
generates sexism.
- Language reflects our thoughts
rather than tailors them.

19. General conclusion
• Sexism in language is a global issue.
• There is an interactive relationship between
language and sexism, but language reflects
rather than generates sexism; language reflects
our thoughts rather than tailors them.
• Sexism is a matter of long sociohistorical
heritage, mirrored in our acts and words.
• Language sexism is an additional burden on the
part of the language learner and user.
• English suffers from many inconsistencies, one
of which is sexism.
• English needs a rational reform.

20. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH