Gender

Communication for equal language practical guide

Language

French

Typology

Practical guide by the University Paris Saclay

Aim & target group

Through this best practice guide, Université Paris Saclay is trying to create a campus that everyone can get involved in. This guide is therefore intended for all students, administrative staff, teaching or research staff.

Link

https://www.universite-paris-saclay.fr/

Short description

This guide shows the principles of egalitarian communication that will be useful in future essays written by students, administrative staff or teaching staff. The aim is to support these people so that they have all the keys to handling egalitarian communication. This guide takes a look at the current state of egalitarian communication in France, with a look back at the history and context of inclusive language in France. The guide also includes a list of good practices to use and repeat.

Main guidelines & principles extrapolated

  1. The guide recommends systematically matching the names of professions, titles, grades and functions to the gender of the person to whom they refer.
  2. The guide also calls for the use of double flexion when referring to a mixed population. In fact, it's better to use "les étudiantes (Female form) et les étudiants (masculine form)".
  3. The guide recommends eliminating sexist expressions such as "maiden name" in favour of birth name.
  4. In the case of abbreviations, the mid-point should be used, limiting it to words that change from masculine to feminine by simply adding letters, for the sake of legibility. It is recommended to use a single period for words in the plural.
  5. Try to use epicene words.
  6. Women should be referred to in the same way as men (with or without the first name). It's best to give both first and last names, so that people can be correctly identified.

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