Language influences mass opinion toward gender and LGBT equality. 2019

Margit Tavits, and Efrén O Pérez
Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130.

To improve gender equality and tolerance toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities, several nations have promoted the use of gender-neutral pronouns and words. Do these linguistic devices actually reduce biases that favor men over women, gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals? The current article explores this question with 3 large-scale experiments in Sweden, which formally incorporated a gender-neutral pronoun into its language alongside established gendered pronouns equivalent to he and she The evidence shows that compared with masculine pronouns, use of gender-neutral pronouns decreases the mental salience of males. This shift is associated with individuals expressing less bias in favor of traditional gender roles and categories, as reflected in more favorable attitudes toward women and LGBT individuals in public life. Additional analyses reveal similar patterns for feminine pronouns. The influence of both pronouns is more automatic than controlled.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007802 Language A verbal or nonverbal means of communicating ideas or feelings. Dialect,Dialects,Languages
D008297 Male Males
D011639 Public Opinion The attitude of a significant portion of a population toward any given proposition, based upon a measurable amount of factual evidence, and involving some degree of reflection, analysis, and reasoning. Interest Groups,Pro-Choice Groups,Public Opinion Polls,Group, Interest,Group, Pro-Choice,Groups, Interest,Groups, Pro-Choice,Interest Group,Opinion Poll, Public,Opinion Polls, Public,Opinion, Public,Poll, Public Opinion,Polls, Public Opinion,Pro Choice Groups,Pro-Choice Group,Public Opinion Poll
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D063106 Transgender Persons Persons having a sense of persistent identification with, and expression of, gender-coded behaviors not typically associated with one's anatomical sex at birth, with or without a desire to undergo SEX REASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES. Trans-Feminine Persons,Trans-Masculine Persons,Transfeminine Persons,Transgendered Persons,Transmasculine Persons,Transexuals,Transgenders,Transsexual Persons,Two-Spirit Persons,Person, Trans-Feminine,Person, Trans-Masculine,Person, Transfeminine,Person, Transgender,Person, Transgendered,Person, Transmasculine,Person, Transsexual,Person, Two-Spirit,Trans Feminine Persons,Trans Masculine Persons,Trans-Feminine Person,Trans-Masculine Person,Transexual,Transfeminine Person,Transgender,Transgender Person,Transgendered Person,Transmasculine Person,Transsexual Person,Two Spirit Persons,Two-Spirit Person
D063507 Sexism Prejudice or discrimination based on gender or behavior or attitudes that foster stereotyped social roles based on gender. Gender Bias,Gender Discrimination,Sex Bias,Sexual Discrimination,Gender Issues,Sex Discrimination,Bias, Gender,Bias, Sex,Discrimination, Gender,Discrimination, Sex,Discrimination, Sexual

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