Reducing Bias in Language

1
Reducing Bias in Language

• For more detailed descriptions, see Concise Rules
  of APA Style (APA, 2005).

2
Common Language Biases

• Gender (not sex thats a behavior)
• Sexual orientation (not preference)
• Racial or ethnic group
• Disability (not handicap)
• Age

3
Avoid Labels Whenever Possible

• Avoid labels that define someone by a
  characteristic they possess
• Schizophrenic
• Person with schizophrenia
• The Gay
• Is that like The Measles?

4
Avoid Labels Whenever Possible

• Avoid terms that imply inequity (i.e., that one
  group or type of person is superior to another).
• Culturally deprived
• Man and wife
• Normal and abnormal

5
Subjects vs. Participants

• Subjects reserve for animals
• Refer to human subjects as
• Participants or
• A more descriptive term such as
• College freshmen
• Female caregivers
• Spouses of veterans

6
Sexual Orientation

• Gay men (not homosexuals)
• Lesbians (not gay women)
• Lesbians and gay men instead of homosexuals
• Bisexual women and men (not bisexuals)
• Sexual orientation is not a preference

7
Sexual Behavior

• Use the following adjectives to describe sexual
  behaviors
• Male-female sexual behavior
• Same-gender sexual relationship
• Male-male sexual assault
• Female-female encounter
• Why no use lesbian or gay male?

8
Race Ethnicity

• Capitalize racial and ethnic group names they
  are proper nouns.
• Black or African American (both OK)
• Hispanic (Spanish speaking can apply to someone
  from Spain)
• Latino/Latina (Latin-American)
• Chicano/Chicana (Mexican-American)

9
Race Ethnicity

• American Indian (only Indian)
• Native American (government term that also
  includes Hawaiians and Samoans)
• Asian or Asian American (not oriental)
• Asian from China, Korea, Japan
• Asian-American of Asian descent, living in US

10
Race Ethnicity

• Use consistent/parallel terms
• White and Black
• Asian American and Hispanic American
• Use the most specific term that is still
  accurate.
• Chinese, instead of Asian (if all persons are
  Chinese)

11
Disabilities

• Use non-handicapping language
• Dont use terms like mentally ill person,
  disabled person, ____ victim, epileptics, etc.
• Do use terms like person with (who has) ____,
  individual with ____, child with ____.

12
Age related terms

• Boy(s) girl(s) - under age 18
• Man (men) woman (women) - age 18 and over
• Older person preferred over elderly
• Dementia not senility
• Senile dementia of the Alzheimers type is an
  accepted term.