Gender-equitable language

Using gender-equitable language helps overcome stereotypical gender roles and reduces discrimination. It also leads to more balanced perceptions of women and men. The University of Konstanz has committed itself to using gender-equitable language in all of its publications.

Your texts are free from discrimination, if they:

• are clearly phrased, so that readers can easily understand whether you are speaking about only women or men, or whether you are addressing both women and men.
• explicitly mention women and men when you mean to address both.
• avoid stereotypical or obsolete gender roles.
• are written in a manner that is easy to read and understand.
• do not begin with a “general clause” that states that the text is also intended to address women, but that the female forms of nouns are left out in order to make the text easier to read.

Our continuing education programme regularly includes seminars on implementing gender-equitable language.