The target group-oriented game with gender-sensitive language
More and more media houses, institutions, administrations and companies are adopting gender-sensitive language: They are concerned with linguistic equality, equal value and the expression of this in words and images. Switching to gender-sensitive language initially requires time, a little courage and, above all, creativity to keep the words flowing.
Should B2B companies use gender?
The generic masculine is widely used. In theory, women are also meant. However, studies show that human perception often simply does not include women. Language reflects social structures and gender is often still a category that creates hierarchy. At the same time, society is changing. Changes in the use of language express this: Through our language, we can contribute to equal and appreciative interaction with one another. Gender-sensitive language avoids misunderstandings because it clearly states who is meant. In addition, companies can use gender-sensitive language to score points in the competition for good specialists, but also in new customer business.
Before switching to gender-sensitive language, companies should first ask themselves a few questions:
- Gender-sensitive language polarizes: How does our company position itself?
- Who are our target groups and how do they feel about gender-sensitive language?
- What topics does our company address and how can our content be communicated in a gender-sensitive way?
- Does gendering fit in with our corporate culture and our goals in the area of corporate social responsibility?
An overview of the most important arguments in favor of gender-sensitive language:
- Companies have a social responsibility: by using gender-sensitive language, they position themselves for equality.
- They create an equal value environment within the company.
- Gender-sensitive language contributes to a more target group-oriented approach.
- The company positions itself as progressive, modern and flexible.
- Precise language avoids misunderstandings.
- Equal rights are regulated by law.
How does gendering work?
There are three main ways to use gender-sensitive language in B2B companies:
- Sichtbarmachen: Die weibliche und die männliche Form wird dabei ausgeschrieben. Das schafft Eindeutigkeit und trägt zur gleichberechtigten Wahrnehmung bei. Nachteil: Menschen, die sich außerhalb des binären Geschlechtssystems einordnen, fühlen sich nicht angesprochen.
- Neutralisieren: Unternehmen können genderbesetzte Worte neutral umformulieren (z.B. die Person, der Mensch, das Mitglied, die Leute, die Eltern, die Geschwister). Außerdem können substantivierte Partizipien und Adjektive mit Ableitungen auf -ung, -ion, -ium, oder -kraft sowie genderneutrale Pronomen (wer, alle, niemand, jemand) zum Einsatz kommen. Auch die Passivbildung schafft Neutralisierung. Geschlechtsneutrale Bezeichnungen eignen sich besonders, wenn die Zeichenzahl begrenzt ist und Texte kurzgehalten werden sollen.
- Splitting: Unternehmen können sich für die Verwendung von Kurzformen mit Schrägstrich */*, Binnen-I, Gendergap „_”, oder Gendersternchen „*“ entscheiden. Dabei hat sich der Genderstern inzwischen als Splittingform etabliert und steht für Vielfalt und Offenheit: Er spricht auch Menschen an, die sich außerhalb des binären Geschlechtssystems einordnen.
Suggestions for the creative use of gender-sensitive language
When using gender-sensitive language, there is often no right or wrong. The important thing is to raise awareness of the topic. As always when writing, the context of the target groups must be taken into account. A common counter-argument is that gender-sensitive language is difficult to read and understand: Good readability had to do with creativity even before the introduction of gender-sensitive language. Therefore, even when using gender-sensitive words, it is important to reach the target groups with appropriate formulations. Of course, the reading flow should be maintained. And for good texts, it is still necessary to play creatively with language.
Food for thought for target group-oriented play with gender-sensitive words:
- Studies show: When using the slash, men and women feel equally addressed. In contrast, the proportion of women is over 50 percent when using the internal I due to the orthographic proximity to the feminine form. Neutral nouns often lead to masculine associations.
- First find a neutral generic term and describe who is doing something in the course of the text. Imaginatively ask the characters in the text which spelling suits them best.
- Other ways of using gender-sensitive language include addressing people directly or using plural forms. This improves the readability of many sentences.
- If women are to be given greater consideration in a text, the internal I can contribute to this.
- Neutral formulations are ideal for longer texts. They improve readability and shorten the text.
- The gender gap or the gender asterisk also enable the linguistic representation of those who do not clearly see themselves as men or women.
- Use the dual designation if you want to make women and men visible in your text.
- The gender colon is a more accessible alternative, but does not have the symbolic power of the gender asterisk.
- Short forms should be used sparingly for the sake of readability. The number of persons can be reduced for this purpose.
- A study shows that children of primary school age do not yet understand the generic masculine: They then only have men in mind.
Ten steps to gender-appropriate language:
(1.) Raise awareness among your team, partners and customers and draw up guidelines and a statement explaining why you have decided to use gender-sensitive language.
(2.) Keep an eye on readability.
(3.) Also pay attention to your visual language.
(4.) Think about search engine optimization when writing online texts: Many short forms are not recognized by search engines and should be avoided in keywords.
(5.) Praise your team and communicate positive feedback.
(6.) Set a start date and consider the necessary preparatory work if documents, brochures or your website need to be adapted.
(7.) Expand your writing routine and also consider gendering. Avoid the generic masculine. Instead, choose gender-neutral formulations such as generic terms, synonyms, paraphrases or participles.
(8.) Describe activities instead of naming people.
(9.) Write diverse: Use the gender asterisk, the gender gap or the colon for personal designations, preferably in the plural.
(10.) Be precise: The closer your sentence is to real people, the more important it is to use the correct term.
Winning at play with gender-sensitive language
Language evolves in line with social change. Modern and changeable companies should therefore regularly and flexibly rethink their corporate language and consider how gender-sensitive language can be used. In doing so, they kill several birds with one stone with a creative feel for language: they create an appreciative corporate culture, take their social responsibility seriously and this does not detract from the readability of their messages. All players can only gain from playing with gender-sensitive language in a creative way that is tailored to the target group.