Gender-neutral terms and why they are important

The Church of England is considering using gender-neutral terms to refer to God. [iStockphoto]

The Church of England has begun discussions on whether to stop referring to God as a "he" after questions arose on the need to use more gender-neutral terms.

British publication The Guardian first reported that Synod, the church's decision-making body was exploring the idea and would launch a new commission to inquire into the matter.

Bishop Michael Ipgrave, the vice-chair of the liturgical commission responsible for the matter, said the church had been "exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years".

"After some dialogue between the two commissions in this area, a new joint project on gendered language will begin in coming months. Changing the wording and number of authorised forms of absolution would require a full synodical process for approval," he said.

A spokesperson for the Church of England told another publication: "This is nothing new. Christians have recognized since ancient times that God is neither male nor female."

The history of the debate on the use of gender-neutral terms dates to the 1970s when it became apparent that parts of the English language were sexist.

The idea mostly borne from feminists and academics in linguistics began wracking up attention in mainstream media.

Gender-neutral language is language that avoids bias towards a particular sex or gender. This includes the use of nouns that are not gender-specific to refer to roles or professions.

For instance, saying business person is considered more gender-neutral than saying, businessman or businesswoman.

With awareness of inclusivity and unconscious bias, people are now moving away from gendered terms and embracing gender-neutral language. At the workplace and in formal environments, using corresponding gender-neutral terms is more endeared, and has become the accepted way to make all people feel respected.

This may come up in the use of terms like chairperson instead of chairman or chairwoman, police officer instead of policeman/woman, folks instead of guys/ladies or gentlemen, table attendant instead of waiter or waitress, sales associate or sales executive instead of salesman/woman.

Other gender-neutral terms we may come across in everyday use include humankind or people instead of mankind, attractive or good-looking instead of beautiful/handsome, and use of adult instead of man or woman. These are just some of the many examples.

In 2019, Sara Niner, a researcher and lecturer in Social Sciences at Monash University, Australia, is quoted saying "the use of gendered terms perpetuates the system that men are in charge of everything and that they know everything."

A person may also choose to identify as gender neutral, meaning they are neither male or female.