How workplace language, culture undermine gender justice

TBS Illustration

India's Supreme Court has recently released a manual for judges, encouraging them to refrain from using derogatory terms like "seductress," "vamp," "spinster" and "harlot", when referring to women. 

An outdated language that demeans women and reinforces gender stereotypes persists in Indian courtrooms, even though these terms have become obsolete in many other countries. It is not uncommon for a wife to be characterised as "virtuous" or "refined," while instances of sexual harassment are often downplayed as "eve-teasing."

Bangladesh, a country of approximately 85 million women, is not any different in this regard. During day-to-day conversations, many people have the tendency to automatically comment about a woman's character and assign an unwarranted negative adjective. 

For example, it is common to look at a woman negatively if she is a "career woman," as if having a livelihood is a grave sin. In extreme cases, there are countless examples out there floating in the world where the blame of rape is shockingly shifted towards the female survivor and her choice of clothing comes into question. 

It is also quite common practice at workplaces to discuss if a woman is married or unmarried, or her choice of having children. Men, however, rarely face the same demeaning treatment at work. 

Marital rape is not criminalised in Bangladesh. 

From a layman's perspective, there are different practices in society that exacerbate gender bias and injustice, at home or at work. Discriminatory terms such as "married women" or "pregnant women" are always considered normal, whereas men become "fathers" or "family persons" in the same context.

As per the United Nations Human Rights Council, a gender stereotype is a generalised view or preconception about attributes or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men, or the roles that are or should be performed by men and women. Gender stereotypes can be both positive and negative. For example, "women are nurturing" or "women are weak." 

Particularly in a workspace, there are hidden or open terms that we often use to categorise women into certain stereotypes. Both men and women carry a tendency to speak about a woman's cooking skills out of any context in the workspace. If a woman is on maternity leave, it is considered a big taboo in our culture. But paternal leave is a matter of great pride for a working man.

There is a growing body of empirical evidence indicating the persistence of gender-biased language within various workplace settings. Gendered terminology remains prevalent and pervasive, continually employed in professional discourse. 

Within the context of performance evaluations, women frequently encounter feedback that tends to be vague, exemplified by statements such as "you had a great year," or overtly discriminatory, often characterised by an overrepresentation of comments concerning communication style, physical appearance, attire or facial expressions. 

In contrast, men typically receive more precise feedback pertaining to specific competencies directly related to their job performance.

Furthermore, this discrepancy between the way men and women are addressed can be exacerbated in written communication such as emails. Even seemingly innocuous phrases like "two guys in a car garage" and "two women in the kitchen" may conceal underlying gender biases, subtly conveying societal norms and expectations regarding gender roles and occupation. They can thereby transmit implicit messages regarding an individual's suitability for particular domains. 

In Bangladesh, there are instances when women are asked about weight, age, salary, family, children or maternity leave plans during a job interview. But men do not face such questions. Rather, in the case of the latter, the interview often remains relevant to the job he applied for.

In certain organisations, women are even belittled about their colour, race or family background, despite performing well in their jobs. When men are in similar positions, no one bats an eye to look into their personal lives. 

Society becomes hypocritical when men and women are compared. For instance, men often become "heroes" if they know how to make a cup of tea at home or at work. 

Communal language is mainly applied to women, and it invokes stereotypical female traits like being supportive, showing warmth and helping the team. But when she is strict about attaining certain deliverables, she is called "bossy," "rude" and other undesirable terms. 

There are positive terms as well, which are used to discriminate against women at work. Scholars affiliated with the Clayman Institute for Gender Research have undertaken an investigation into the prevailing discourse concerning leadership within organisational contexts, encompassing a spectrum of workplace components, ranging from job advertisements to performance evaluations. 

This discourse is bifurcated into two distinct linguistic categories – agentic and communal. The usage of communal language predominantly pertains to individuals identifying as female and tends to invoke stereotypes associated with feminine attributes. These include but are not limited to qualities such as nurturing, displaying warmth, and fostering a collaborative team environment. 

Conversely, agentic language is primarily ascribed to individuals identifying as male and emphasises characteristics associated with assertiveness, taking charge of situations and demonstrating autonomy in their actions, particularly when it pertains to task accomplishment.

Solutions to this issue can be multipronged. There can be policy reformations from the government or institutional levels. 

It is noteworthy to mention that the Supreme Court of India has restricted certain terms when formulating legal petitions, court directives and judicial verdicts. The court, in its "Handbook on Mitigating Gender Stereotypes," proffers a series of recommended alterations, one of which includes the substitution of the term "woman" in lieu of expressions such as "career woman," "fallen woman," "harlot," "seductress," and other negative terms. 

For Bangladesh, organisations can introduce inclusive language manuals for educating uninformed employees. For a broader intervention, an annexure about gender-sensitive language can be introduced for institutions to implement. 

Bangladesh judiciary can revisit or recheck the definition of rape and incorporate marital rape as a criminal offence in the legal proceeding. But these are all high-level reforms, and it will take time to be incorporated with persistent advocacy. 

The core problem does not only lie within the system, it also lies within the societal structure and norms that have become acceptable over the years. Policies can only address the discriminatory scenario, but the awareness and sensitivity lie within ourselves. 

We can always start small, on an individual level. Unless we come together and consciously use inclusive language at work or at home, policies or handbooks will just exist on paper without leaving any real impact. 

Raisa Adiba is a development worker

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.