This document discusses avoiding bias in language and provides guidelines for inclusive writing. It defines bias as a tendency towards a particular perspective that interferes with impartiality. Various sources of bias are explored, including environment, experience, education, peers, beliefs, ignorance and language. Examples of biased language relating to race, gender, disability, age, religion and sexual orientation are given. The document recommends using person-first language, gender-neutral terms, and paralleling terms when referring to different groups to avoid bias.

1. Rev 10/2010 1Report Writing Gramma

2. Avoiding Bias in One’s Language

3. Objectives
 Understand types of bias
 Give examples of language bias
 Eliminate language bias from writing
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4. Definition
Tendency or preference towards a particular
perspective, ideology or result, when the
tendency interferes with the ability to be
impartial, unprejudiced, or objective.. In
other words, bias is generally seen as a
'one-sided' perspective. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias
 Everyone has biases
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5. There is no truth. There is only
perception. Gustave Flaubert
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Escher

6. Perception
 Our perceptions are our reality
 Our biases are our perceptions
 Our biases can blind one to reality
 Our biases can exclude other
 Our biases can limit one’s experience of
life
 Our biases can be dangerous
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7. Diversity in the Work Place
Advantages Disadvantages
 Broader work force
 Wider approach to
problem solving
 Exposure to interesting
people
 Expands outlook on life
 Increases tolerance
 Communication issues
 Value issues
 Conflict
 Discrimination,
harassment, and bullying
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8. Sources of Bias
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Environment
Experience
Education
Peers
Beliefs
Ignorance
Language

9. Environment
 Bias is based on
 How one is raised
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10. Experience
 Bias is based on
 Induction – experience
○ Make-up is used only by women
 Stereotypes
○ Computer geeks are inept with women
 Faulty logic
○ Terrorists are bad people
○ Arabs are terrorists
○ Arabs are bad people
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False

11. Education
 Bias based on
 When educated
 Where educated
 Amount of education
 Exposure
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12. Peers
 Bias based on
whom one socializes
with
 Fear of ostracism
 Need to be in
 Crowd (mob)
mentality
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13. Beliefs
 Culture
 Democracy is the best form of government
 Women are equal to men
 Chauvinism – kindness based on
superiority
○ The poor people in Africa just need our help to
lead better lives.
 Religious
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14. Ignorance
 What is unknown
may be miss
understood
 What is unknown
can be frightening
 What is unknown
can be dangerous
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Boroboro Tribesman -- Africa

15. Offensive Bias
Offensive bias is the use of words or phrases that
some readers may find insensitive.
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• Old people should not be allowed to
drive.Blatant
• I had a blond moment.Subtle
• On Secretary's Day one should buy
one’s secretary flowers and take her to
lunch.
Presumptive

16. Language Bias
 Race and ethnicity
 Sexual Orientation
 Disability
 Age
 Religion
 Gender
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Language bias is bias based upon changes in
social awareness and word usage.

17. Race and Ethnic Bias
 Do not hyphenate multi-word names –
Asian American
 Unless the term is not a separate word –
Afro-American
 Either Black or African American is
acceptable
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18. Race and Ethnic Bias
 Either American Indian or Native
American is acceptable.
 When practical use tribal names
 Use Asian rather than Oriental
 Do not use a singular when referring to
a group of people
 The Seminole fought a war.  The
Seminoles fought a war.
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19. Sexual Orientation Bias
 Use sexual orientation rather than
sexual preference when discussing
homosexuality or heterosexuality.
 Lesbian and gay male is preferred to
homosexual.
 Avoid terms like – mannish, womanish,
effeminate
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20. Disability Bias
 Put the people first
not their disability
 Avoid the and
disability – the blind
 Avoid comparisons
that are not relevant
 She dresses very well
for a blind person.
 Disabled person 
person with a
disability
 Mentally ill person 
person with mental
illness
 AIDS patient 
person with AIDS
 Wheelchair bound
person  person who
uses a wheel chair
 Mentally retarded 
mentally challenged
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21. Age Bias
 Avoid age stereotypes
 Golden agers
 Over the hill
 Wet behind the ears
 Old folks
 Just a kid
 Don’t use adjectives as nouns
 Elderly – The elderly should not drive cars.
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X

22. Religion Bias
 Be aware of historical words
 Crusade, Inquisition
 Avoid disparaging terms – holy roller,
orthodox beliefs, fundamentalist
 Preferred Islamic spellings
 Moslem  Muslim
 Koran  Qur’an
 Mohammed  Muhammad
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23. Gender Bias
The goal is gender neutral writing.
 Gender bias is ancient
and is still pervasive
 It arises from stereotypes
of male/female roles
 It is embedded in our
language
 It is often subconscious
 Issues
 Male/female
 Transgender
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24. Gender Terms
 Use girls and boys to refer to people under
the age of 18
 Use parallel terms – ladies and gentlemen,
men and women, husband and wives
 Do not use coed to describe only female
students
 Avoid using sex when gender is meant.
Sex can be unclear because it refers to the
sex act as well as gender.
 She didn’t get the job because of her sex.
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25. Gender Substitutions
 Man  Humans, persons, people
 Manpower  Workforce, workers
 Businessman  Business person
 Chairman  Chair, chairperson
 Salesman  Salesperson
 Actress  Actor
 Waitress  Server, wait staff
 Policeman  Police officer
 Fireman  Firefighter
 Mailman  Letter carrier
 Mothering Parenting, nurturing
 Secretary  Administrative Assistant
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26. Gender Bias -- Pronouns
The goal is gender neutral writing.
 Our language has no personal pronoun besides it which
is gender neutral.
 Few would like to be referred to as it.
 It took the money to the bank for deposit.
 Our language is being challenged and changed,
 150 years ago the singular forms of you fell from common usage.
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27. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 27
Gender
Gender is used to indicate the sex of
what the pronoun refers to.
Gender has three sexes: masculine,
feminine and neuter.
Gender is only used in the third person
singular personal pronouns—he, she it.

28. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 28
Gender — Forms Personal Pronouns
I Me My/Mine
We Us Our/Ours
Thee Thou Thine
Ye You Your
Masc. He Him His
Fem. She Her Hers
Neuter It It Its
They Them Their/Theirs
Plural
Singular
Plural
1st
2nd
Person
3rd
Possessive
Case
Plural
Number Subjective Objective
Gender
Singular
Singular

29. Gender Agreement
 Pronouns must be consistent in gender
with what they refer to
 The book for the class is on my desk. She is
difficult to read.
 English only uses masculine and
feminine gender for people and animals
that have true sex characteristics
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30. Gender Exceptions
 Boats and cars are sometimes referred to
as she
 Very young children are occasionally
referred to as it
○ Mabel has a new baby, and it is so sweet.?
 Animals are neuter unless the animal has a
clear gender
○ The dog was big. It was ferocious too.
○ My dog Betty is a sweetie. She brings me the
paper every day.
○ The hen stopped laying eggs, so she is soup now.
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31. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 31
Gender Bias – What to Do
 Need to avoid using masculine
pronouns when the antecedent can be
either male or female.
 A student should study daily if he wants to
be successful.

32. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 32
Gender Bias — Solution
 Some experts suggest new pronouns,
 zhe,zher,zhis
 ne, ner, nis.
 But most thoughtful writers seek solutions
within the confines of current English
usage.

33. Gender Bias – Solution 1
 Replace with he
or she
 A student should
study daily if he
or she wants to
be successful.
 S/he He/she is not
acceptable in
formal writing
 Avoid awkward
repetitions
 The student should
have his or her
textbook with him or
her in class.
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34. Gender Bias – Solution 2
 Use an indefinite pronoun
 A student should study daily if one wants to
be successful.
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35. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 35
Gender Bias – Solution 3
 Change nouns to plural
 Students should study daily if they want to
be successful.

36. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 36
Gender Bias – Solution 4
 Remove pronouns
 The student should have his or her textbook
with him or her in class.
 The student should have the textbook in
class.

37. Rev 10/2010 Report Writing Gramma 37
Gender Bias – Grammar Error
 Do not mix singulars with plurals
 A student should study daily if they want to
be successful.
 Each of the students should study daily if
they want to be successful.

38. Gender Exercise 1
.
He or she should use gender neutral
writing if he or she want to be
sensitive to the reader.
The actor performed her role well
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C I
C I

39. Gender Exercise 2
.
Timothy was constantly mothering his
13 year old daughter.
Everyone should be proficient in word
processing because they will use it
every day
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C I
C I

40. Gender Exercise 3
.
Tiffany Wong is Oriental by heritage,
but American by culture.
Oscar was a queer as a three dollar
bill.
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C I
C I

41. Gender Exercise 4
.
An effective business man always has
his cell phone handy.
Stephanie was known for her catholic
tastes in music.
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C I
C I

42. Summary
 Respect people
 Be aware and sensitive
 Slang and vulgar words are always
inappropriate
 Be specific when possible
 Hispanic  Cuban, Mentally ill  paranoid
 Do not mention issues which are not important
 The female doctor was very good diagnostician.
 Follow the wishes of the group being
described.
 Ask if in doubt.
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43. Resources
 APA http://www.apastyle.org/styletips.html
 A Guide to Bias Free Writing
http://tps.studentorg.wisc.edu/TPS/facultysenate/bia
sfree.pdf
 Guidelines for Inclusiveness
http://www.elcic.ca/docs/inclusive.html
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