The Reading / Listening - Gender-neutral Language - Level 4

A university department asked staff to stop using certain words related to gender. It issued a list of replacements for words like 'mother' and 'father'. This is to encourage more gender-neutral language. The list includes the term 'gestational parent' instead of 'mother,' and 'non-birthing parent' in place of 'father'. The department says the words 'mother' and 'father' exclude non-binary people, who identify as being neither male nor female.

The department said using gender terms to describe parenthood excludes those who do not identify as male or female. It said non-gendered language is important in discussions about parenthood. The university said the handbook was just a guide to help with inclusiveness and diversity and not official policy. A UK university asked staff to use the word 'chestfeeding' for 'breastfeeding'.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Gender-neutral Language - Level 5 or  Gender-neutral Language - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/university-staff-told-stop-saying-23507643
  • https://au.news.yahoo.com/university-asks-staff-to-refer-to-it-as-chest-feeding-100937936.html
  • https://www.foxnews.com/world/university-handbook-encourages-staff-to-adopt-gender-neutral-language


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. stop using certain
  2. It issued a list
  3. words like
  4. encourage more gender-
  5. includes the term
  6. non-birthing
  7. in place
  8. exclude non-
  1. of 'father'
  2. neutral language
  3. parent
  4. of replacements
  5. binary people
  6. words
  7. 'gestational parent'
  8. 'mother' and 'father'

Paragraph 2

  1. using gender
  2. those who do not identify as
  3. non-gendered language
  4. discussions about
  5. the handbook was
  6. help with inclusiveness
  7. A UK
  8. use the word 'breastfeeding'
  1. and diversity
  2. is important
  3. for 'chestfeeding'
  4. male or female
  5. university
  6. terms
  7. parenthood
  8. just a guide

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A university department asked (1) ___________________ using certain words related to gender. It (2) ___________________ of replacements for words like 'mother' and 'father'. This (3) ___________________ more gender-neutral language. The list (4) ___________________ 'gestational parent' instead of 'mother,' and 'non-birthing parent' (5) ___________________ 'father'. The department says the words 'mother' and 'father' exclude (6) ___________________, who identify as being neither male nor female.

The department said using (7) ___________________ describe parenthood excludes those who do (8) ___________________ male or female. It said non-gendered language (9) ___________________ discussions about parenthood. The university said (10) ___________________ just a guide to help with inclusiveness and diversity and (11) ___________________. A UK university asked staff to (12) ___________________ 'chestfeeding' for 'breastfeeding'.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Auniversitydepartmentaskedstafftostopusingcertainwordsrelatedto
gender.Itissuedalistofreplacementsforwordslike'mother'and'father'
.Thisistoencouragemoregender-neutrallanguage.Thelistincludest
heterm'gestationalparent'insteadof'mother,'and'non-birthingpar
ent'inplaceof'father'.Thedepartmentsaysthewords'mother'and'fath
er'excludenon-binarypeople,whoidentifyasbeingneithermalenorfe
male.Thedepartmentsaidusinggendertermstodescribeparenthoode
xcludesthosewhodonotidentifyasmaleorfemale.Itsaidnon-gende
redlanguageisimportantindiscussionsaboutparenthood.Theuniversi
tysaidthehandbookwasjustaguidetohelpwithinclusivenessanddiver
sityandnotofficialpolicy.AUKuniversityaskedstafftousetheword'chestfee
ding'for'breastfeeding'.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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