The use of gender neutral language has been in stress in developing nations. The researchers in my Institute (TITI, Nepal) have come up with different fruitful findings and the issues they are still facing.
Thus, I intend to find out to what extent does gender biased language provoke sexual harassment, OR to what extent does the use of gender neutral language minimize sexual harassment in development nation like Nepal.
Dear Anup
Firstly, theoretically using Naila Kabeer's terminology we can distinguish between gender blind, gender-instrumental, gender specific or gender transformative language.
Gender-blind terminologies do not refer to men or women, but colleges, people etc.
Gender instrumental language would say more women should study home science, so that in the future they can be good mothers.
Gender specific language would say there should be a breast feeding room in campus so that women students with children could breast feed.
Gender transformative language in universities would discuss concepts of parenting (rather than mothering, fathering), sexual harassment of women and girls, changing girls' expectation that their partners should be "bread winners'.
We need to move towards gender-transformative languages in Universities and colleges.
Best
Ranjani
It is assumed that gendered language demean the position of women in any situation and make them feel subordinated. Thereby it may also act as a factor of sexual harassment of women at workplace.
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