From the course: Strategies to Foster Inclusive Language at Work
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Inclusive language matters
From the course: Strategies to Foster Inclusive Language at Work
Inclusive language matters
- Ben was interviewing for a job where he would have to relocate. Mark, one of the interviewers, looked at Ben's wedding ring and said, "I bet your wife would love those bungalows on the south side of town." Problem is, Ben is gay, and he's married to a man. So imagine what it's like to be in Ben's position. Maybe you don't have to imagine because something similar has already happened to you. Now that Mark has assumed he's talking to a person who has a wife, Ben has a few options, and none of them are good ones. He can pause and correct Mark and explain that his spouse is in fact male. But that might be dangerous. What if Mark is biased against people who aren't straight. He's already shown through his language that he isn't considering options beyond heterosexuality. As an interviewer, Mark is in the power position here, and he can shut down Ben's job prospects. Currently, in more than half of the states in the U.S.,…
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