Instruction No. 33 of 1 June 1994 concerning the use of non‑sexist language at the Council of Europe
APPENDIX: GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF NON-SEXIST LANGUAGE AT THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
HAVING REGARD to Committee of Ministers Recommendation No. R (90) 4 of 21 February 1990 on the elimination of sexism from language and the fact that in 1992 the Committee of Ministers expressed the desire that a technical revision of the Staff Regulations be carried out to remove all sexist connotations, in accordance with the said Recommendation;
HAVING REGARD to Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1229 (1994) on equality of rights between men and women;
HAVING REGARD to the fact that the Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men (CDEG) requested that sexism be removed from language, on the grounds that the work being done to eliminate stereotyped concepts of the role of women and men in all areas should be matched by the use of non-sexist language;
CONSIDERING that equality between women and men, a principle which the Council of Europe upholds as a prerequisite for any democratic society, should be observed within the Council of Europe;
CONSIDERING that the use of non-sexist language in Council of Europe texts is part and parcel of the Council of Europe Equal Opportunities Strategy for the Secretariat;
DECIDES:
Sexism shall be removed from language at all levels of the Council of Europe.
The use of non-sexist language in all Council of Europe texts, publications and audiovisual material shall be governed by the guidelines in this instruction.
This instruction shall apply to both official languages of the Council of Europe (English and French), with due regard for the features specific to each language. Where appropriate, the guidelines shall also be applied in other languages.
In the course of their duties, Council of Europe staff members shall use non-sexist language in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Appendix hereto.
Persons commissioned by the Council of Europe to prepare documents and audiovisual material shall likewise apply the guidelines in their work.
The language of commissioned documents shall be checked for sexism and amended if necessary.
The guidelines shall be observed when Council of Europe audiovisual material is prepared.
They shall likewise be observed by staff members who, in the course of their duties, have occasion to be interviewed by the press, radio or television.
Directors, Deputy Directors, Heads of Division and Heads of Section shall ensure that the guidelines are properly applied.
The Secretary General will report on progress in the annual report on equality between women and men.
This instruction shall come into force on 1 st June 1994.
The Secretary General
Catherine LALUMIERE
APPENDIX: GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF NON-SEXIST LANGUAGE AT THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
These guidelines form part of Instruction No. 33, of 1st June 1994 issued with a view to ensuring the use of non-sexist language at all levels of the Council of Europe Secretariat.
In view of the features specific to each of the Council of Europe official languages (English and French), separate guidelines have been drawn up for each language. Where appropriate, the guidelines should also be applied in other languages.
It will be noted that the trend in English is to drop feminine endings (so that terms like “poetess” are disappearing) and that there is a growing preference for terms that apply equally to both sexes. In French, on the other hand, a tendency to introduce new feminine forms of titles and occupational designations (such as l’“agente”) is emerging. These differences can be accounted for by basic structural differences between the two languages, rather than by differences in the socio-political context.
Avoid gender-specific pronouns when the sex of the person concerned is not known.
The following alternatives are suggested.
1. Use a plural form. This is often the simplest solution
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Instead of |
Use |
|
The child and his rights |
Children and their rights |
|
The director...he... |
Directors...they... |
|
A nurse must inform her patients |
Nurses must inform their patients |
2. Reword the sentence
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Instead of |
Use |
|
When a staff member arrives at the Council, he must ... |
On arriving at the Council, a staff member must ... |
3. Delete the pronoun
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Instead of |
Use |
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Anyone disagreeing should give his reasons. |
Anyone disagreeing should give reasons. |
4. Replace the pronoun by "the", "a" or "an"
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Instead of |
Use |
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When submitting his application, a candidate should ... |
When submitting an application, a candidate should ... |
5. Use "we", "one" or "people"
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Instead of |
Use |
|
The individual is influenced by his family's values. |
People are influenced by their families' values. |
6. Use "he or she", "his or her" (to be used sparingly)
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Instead of |
Use |
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A Director shall be appointed for four years. He shall ... |
A Director shall be appointed appointed for four years. |
|
Avoid "man" words |
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|
Instead of |
Use |
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Chairman, chairwoman |
Chair |
|
Spokesman, spokeswoman |
Spokesperson |
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Craftsman |
Craft worker |
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Businessmen |
The business community, industry, business managers, executives, companies |
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Man, mankind |
People, the human race, human beings, humanity |
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Manpower |
Workforce, workers, personnel |
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Manmade |
Artificial, synthetic, manufactured, constructed, of human origin |
|
To man |
To operate, to be on duty |
Forms of address
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Instead of |
Use |
|
Mrs, Miss |
Ms [except where the woman in question expressly objects, in which case a footnote to this effect should be added] Alternatively, the first name and surname may be used without a title. |
Use parallel language
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Instead of |
Use |
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Men and ladies |
Men and women, ladies and gentlemen |
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Men and girls |
Men and women, girls and boys |
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Man and wife |
Husband and wife, man and woman |
Avoid stereotypes
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Instead of |
Use |
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Ambassadors and their wives |
Ambassadors and their spouses or partners |
|
A woman doctor, a male nurse |
A doctor, a nurse |