OECD Style Guide (Fourth Edition)

7. Inclusive language

Abstract

Using inclusive language reflects the OECD’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that content is respectful, accurate and accessible to a global audience.

General advice

• Use neutral, factual language and exclude outdated or offensive terms.

• Be respectful – use the terms that individuals and communities use to refer to themselves. When in doubt, ask relevant stakeholders and COM.

• Be aware that language evolves and there is always more to learn.

Age

• Certain terms used to describe older adults may reinforce negative stereotypes about the health and competence of individuals older than 60.

Do

✔ Prefer “older” to “elderly” and avoid terms such as “seniors”.

Older people are living longer, healthier lives than ever before.

✔ Use balanced age comparisons: “younger, middle-aged and older adults”.

The survey includes samples from younger and older populations.

Disability

• Whether and how to address ability and disability depends on whether it is contextually necessary and on the terminology preferences of the individuals and communities involved.

• People-first language emphasises the individual rather than their disability or condition (a person with a traumatic brain injury) and their lived experience.

• Identity-first language puts focus on the disability, as a way of reclaiming identity (a Deaf person).

Do

✔ Use people-first language in most cases.

✔ Use identity-first language if requested by an individual or community.

🙁 The workspace now has ramps to accommodate handicapped people.

🙂 The workspace design facilitates mobility for people who use wheelchairs.

✔ Avoid negative framing such as “suffers from” or “victim of”.

🙁 The centre provides activities for Down Syndrome children and other children suffering from congenital disabilities.

🙂 The centre provides activities for children living with Down Syndrome and other congenital disabilities.

Gender-neutral language

• Gender-neutral language removes assumptions about gender identity, gender roles and relationships.

Do

✔ In general, use gender-neutral terms unless the context requires a gender-specific one. See table below for commonly used gender-neutral alternatives.

✔ Use the phrase “different genders” rather than “opposite genders”.

Gender-neutral alternatives to common gendered words

 

Use	Instead of
graduate, graduates	alumnus/alumni, alumna/alumnae
fellowship, community	brotherhood
business person	businessman, businesswoman
Chair	Chairman, Chairwoman
member of Congress, legislator	Congressman, Congresswoman
Council member	councilman, councilwoman
firefighter	fireman
informal agreement, unwritten agreement	gentleman’s agreement
maintenance worker, repair person	handyman
Head of School, Principal	Headmaster, Headmistress
spouse, partner	husband, wife
Distinguished guests (or, informally, “colleagues”, “everyone”, “friends”)	ladies and gentlemen
mail carrier, postal worker	mailman
humanity, humankind	mankind
artificial, synthetic	manmade
workforce, personnel	manpower
parenting	mothering/fathering (as verbs)
police officer	policeman, policewoman
salesperson	salesman, saleswoman
fair play, team spirit	sportsmanship
flight attendant	steward, stewardess
server	waiter, waitress

Personal pronouns

• Many people use the standard English pronouns “she/her” and “he/his”; others use “they/them” or other forms.

Do

✔ Avoid gender pronouns unless needed for specific context; often a sentence is just as clear without the pronoun.

🙁 Each candidate will be asked to finish his test within 30 minutes.

🙂 Each candidate will be asked to finish the test within 30 minutes.

✔ Refer to individuals by their self-identified pronouns, whether speaking or writing.

✔ Use gender-neutral pronouns (“they/them”) as singular pronouns when gender is unknown, rather than male or female pronouns, or rephrase to avoid using a pronoun.

🙁 Someone left her backpack in the conference room.

🙂 Someone left their backpack in the conference room.

Race and ethnicity

• It is imperative to avoid terms that are outdated, offensive, perpetuate stereotypes or imply value judgments.

• Whenever possible, use the racial and/or ethnic terms that the individuals or communities being discussed use themselves.

Do

✔ Reference cultural or ethnic identifiers only when relevant to the content.

✔ Use terms preferred by the individual or groups described. When in doubt, ask.

✔ Prefer specific terms to generic terms.

🙁 The roundtable was made up of Asian policymakers.

🙂 The roundtable was made up of policymakers from Japan, Korea and Thailand.

✔ Use “minority” as an adjective rather than a noun when referring to individuals and groups.

🙁 The report analyses educational outcomes of minorities in five countries.

🙂 The report analyses the educational outcomes of minority groups in five countries.

Sexual orientation

• The language used to describe sexual orientation should be inclusive, respectful and free from assumptions or bias.

• Whenever possible, use accurate and affirming terms that the individuals or communities being discussed use themselves.

Do

✔ Use accurate and affirming terms to refer to LGBTIQ+ communities.

🙁 The survey asked participants to indicate their sexual preference.

🙂 The survey asked participants to describe their sexual orientation.

✔ Avoid terms that imply a preference or are medically outdated.

✔ Only reference sexual orientation where relevant or pertinent.

✔ Avoid language that explicitly assumes gender identity.

🙁 New households are formed following the marriage of a man and a woman.

🙂 Marriages lead to the formation of new households.