In a bid to become more gender inclusive, several universities in Australia are ditching “gender-specific” words they claim could be perceived as discriminatory, such as “housewife” and “mankind.”
Students who continue to use the blacklisted words could be penalized with the loss of marks or even the failure of a course, according to news.com.au.
Jill Downie, deputy vice-chancellor of Curtin University in Perth, told the news publication that the university’s “inclusive language procedures” was designed to help staff and students speak and write in an inclusive manner.
“The Student Charter and the Staff Code of Conduct set out the behavioral expectations in relation to students and staff, including a requirement to avoid behaviors which constitute discrimination and harassment,” she said. “Where a member of the university community acts contrary to our expectations, there are clear processes to provide educative and/or other actions to address the issue.”
A student who violates this policy by using language deemed discriminatory in coursework of tests could result in a failing grade, Downie said.
“Whilst it is possible that a student may fail an assessment or be subject to actions under the student charter or misconduct provisions, our preference would be to work with students to educate them on the use of inclusive language and this would be typically handled in the feedback provided to learners,” Downie added.
CQUniversity offers their school community a list of gender neutral alternatives for common words like “man,” which they say could…
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