A Re-examination of Language's Impact on Gender

Download or read book A Re-examination of Language's Impact on Gender written by Makenzie J. Frodle and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Studies have shown that despite a changing social consciousness that actively seeks gender equality, implicit perceptions of gender role stereotypes still exist. The current study explores the role of language, specifically pronoun usage, in perpetuating these stereotypes. A survey was distributed to 64 Saginaw Valley State University students to measure how widespread and deeply engrained these social stereotypes are. Each participant was asked to write five stories based on traditionally gender specific occupations, including an elementary teacher, a surgeon, a basketball player, a nurse, and a professor. Because a singular generic pronoun is not a formalized part of the English language yet, participants were forced to select either she or he (or avoidance strategies such as she/he or they). The results show that participants opt for the pronoun that would traditionally be expected, thus exhibiting gender bias. That a majority of students are still describing traditional gender stereotypes (as demonstrated through their pronoun use) suggests a rift between our implicit perceptions and our explicit social values. Further examination of a language's ability to effect change and its relationship to our implicit perceptions offers suggestions for how our society can combat persisting gender stereotypes through language change and education." -- Author's abstract, page 2.