Brave new world of gender-inclusive language
CMAJ 1997;157:641
Re: "Attitudes toward the use of gender-inclusive language among residency trainees" (CMAJ 1997;156:1289-93 [abstract / résumé]), by Dr. Gordon H. Guyatt and associates, "Medical curricula for the next millennium: responding to diversity" (CMAJ 1997;156:1295-6 [full text / résumé]), by Dr. Christiane Kuntz, and "Gender sensitivity in medical curricula" (CMAJ 1997;156:1297-1300 [full text / résumé]), by Barbara Zelek and associates
In response to: E. Berger
Many people, like Dr. Berger, find it oppressive when they encounter negative reactions to language that has been used habitually throughout their lives. Indeed, an overzealous insistence on using or avoiding particular forms of expression can be irritating, burdensome and unnecessarily inhibiting.
A problem arises, however, when people find particular expressions disturbing or offensive. Most people agree that pejorative terms that refer to a person's race have no place in the language, yet people who use them are liable to find objections oppressive and will consider them an excessively rigid application of political correctness.
Berger may find the comparison of this example and the use of language that women find disrespectful hyperbolic or even ludicrous. Berger, however, is not a woman and has not been subjected to the systematic discrimination and barriers against advancement that women continue to face.
We should seek an appropriate balance between 2 potential problems. On the one hand, we should encourage gender-inclusive language and discourage language that people find patronizing or disrespectful. On the other hand, excessively rigid application of language formulas can create an oppressive environment.
Data we cited in our article indicate that women avoid surgical specialties, and part of the reason is that they feel alienated in the surgical environment. Our use of language reflects attitudes and contributes to their creation. The greater acceptability of gender-exclusive language in surgical environments is no coincidence.
We do not know exactly where the right balance lies between creating a climate in which women feel fully respected and valued, and dealing with the negative reactions of critics.
Gordon Guyatt, MD
Professor
Departments of Medicine
and of Clinical Epidemiology
and Biostatistics
Lauren Griffith, MSc
Research Associate
Department of Clinical Epidemiology
and Biostatistics
Cathy Risdon, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Family Medicine
McMaster University
Hamilton, Ont.
Joanne Liutkus, MD
Research Fellow
Brown University School of Medicine
Providence, RI
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