Feminists have objected to a number of features of the English language. Explain what these features are and why feminists object to them. Then describe any empirical psychological studies that have been done that could be used as evidence to back the feminist position.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Some of the features of the English language that feminists have objected to include euphemisms for the word “woman,” infantilizing, and male as the norm/female as the exception. Feminist linguists have argued that we have a strong tendency to use euphemisms for the word “woman,” meaning people have a tendency to avoid using the word “woman” and instead substitute a variety of terms that seem more polite or less threatening, such as “lady” or “girl.” Research has shown that “woman” is used less frequently than the word “man” and that euphemisms listed for “woman” were more likely to carry a sexual meaning than those listed for “man.” Infantilizing refers to the idea that women are called by terms that seem to make them less mature and less powerful than they are, such as calling a woman “girl” or “baby.” The male as normative and female as the exception refers to androcentrism, a concept that says the male is regarded as the normative or standard member of the species, such as the use of “man” to refer to all human beings and the use of “he” for a neutral pronoun. This male-as-normative usage introduces ambiguity into our language and makes women the exceptions to the norm, which can lead to a female deficit bias. Feminist linguists have theorized that the masculine generic is an example of sexism in language. Research has shown that it is linked to the status of women in the United States. Research has also shown that in textbooks, when women’s status was higher, the proportion of female pronouns were also higher, but when the women’s status was lower, the use of female pronouns was less frequent. Researchers have demonstrated that different language types reflect societal gender equality. Some research has suggested that gendered and sexist language promotes sexist viewpoints, backing the feminist position on why gendered language matters.