Gender neutrality (adjective form: gender-neutral) describes the idea that language and other social institutions should avoid distinguishing people by their gender, in order to avoid discrimination arising from the impression that there are social roles for which one gender is more suited than the other. A common example occurs in the opposition to gender-specific job titles such as stewardess and policeman in favor of terms that do not convey gender such as flight attendant and police officer.
Grammatically, gender-neutral language (such as gender neutrality in English) is exemplified by the use of a gender-neutral pronoun, although this is sometimes confused with the neuter grammatical gender.
Proponents of gender neutrality may support public policies designed to eliminate gender distinctions, such as favoring same-sex marriage on the belief that society should not limit the roles of husband or wife based on gender. Other controversial views may include support of gender-neutral toilets, with public restrooms being available without distinguishing the gender of the person using them. However, it has been observed that gender neutrality in the law has changed the nature of custody disputes, making it less likely that women will be awarded custody of their children in the event of a divorce.
Famous quotes containing the words gender and/or neutrality:
“But there, where I have garnered up my heart,
Where either I must live or bear no life;
The fountain from the which my current runs
Or else dries up: to be discarded thence,
Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
To knot and gender in!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“My father and I were always on the most distant terms when I was a boy—a sort of armed neutrality, so to speak. At irregular intervals this neutrality was broken, and suffering ensued; but I will be candid enough to say that the breaking and the suffering were always divided up with strict impartiality between us—which is to say, my father did the breaking, and I did the suffering.”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)