Gender inclusive language and communication
Gender inclusive language and communication
The University of Oldenburg advocates for a respectful, inclusive and non-discriminatory communication and environment. In order to raise awareness and to encourage all university members to reflect on and, if necessary, adapt the way they express themselves the University has issued a guideline for gender inclusive language and communication.
The German language is a genderbased language. For years there have been discussions that this historically founded language use makes women as well as trans*, inter* and nonbinary persons invisible and thus reinforces the gender bias in society. In order to address this issue, the University installed a working group to discuss recommendations.
This working group lead by the Central Equal Opportunities Officer developed a guideline for gender inclusive language and communication which was passed by the Senate and the Presidential Board in 2020. The guideline specifically addresses the German language and its’ specifications and has therefore not been translated into English.
In order to explain the need and advantage of such a guideline to everybody, the guideline’s basic principles are laid out in English in the following.
Basic principles of implementation
The main elements of the guideline for gender inclusive language and communication are:
- comprehensive, neutral terms and phrases for groups of persons, e. g. ‚Studierende’
- the use of the gender star where not otherwise possible, e. g. ‚Professor*innen’
- an inclusive salutation, e. g. dear [title] [first name] [surname], dear colleagues
- enable non-binary information in forms, queries and documents
- a balanced heterogenous representation of people in different media without reproducing gendered stereotypes
In scientific papers the responsibility lies with the authors. The direct personal contact is up to the individual.
Frequently used examples in German
- addressing a group: ‚Sehr geehrte Lesende’ (dear readers), ‚Liebe Anwesende’ (dear attendees), Hallo Kolleg*innen’ (dear colleagues)
- addressing a person: ‚Guten Tag [Vorname Nachname]’ (dear [first name surname])
Further comprehensive examples of gender-inclusive language in German can be found on the website of the Equal Opportunities Office.