{"id":10506,"date":"2020-11-06T01:06:43","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T01:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/?page_id=10506"},"modified":"2020-11-06T01:06:43","modified_gmt":"2020-11-06T01:06:43","slug":"bias-free-writing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/learning-pathways\/effective-business-writing-and-legal-considerations\/bias-free-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Bias-free writing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"content\" class=\"mw-body container\" role=\"main\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12\">\n<div class=\"panel\">\n<div class=\"panel-body\">\n<div id=\"bodyContent\">\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mw-content-ltr\">\n<div class=\"floatright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wikieducator.org\/File:3387196691_b29b02bd34_w.jpg\" class=\"image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"3387196691 b29b02bd34 w.jpg\" src=\"\/\/wikieducator.org\/images\/thumb\/e\/ef\/3387196691_b29b02bd34_w.jpg\/320px-3387196691_b29b02bd34_w.jpg\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" class=\"img-responsive\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p><br style=\"clear:both;\">\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"What_is_bias-free_writing.3F\">What is bias-free writing?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Bias-free writing is written communication that:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> is inclusive, fair, and welcoming to all potential readers, irrespective of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, health, and similar characteristics\n<\/li>\n<li> does not prejudice readers against a particular group of people\n<\/li>\n<li> does not make assumptions or generalisations about a particular group of people (&#8216;stereo-typing&#8217;)\n<\/li>\n<li> avoids using descriptions of people that are not relevant to the context\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Using bias-free writing is an important aspect of being a fair and ethical business organisation. It also tends to enhance business communications by making them more clear and direct, and it helps avoid breaking anti-discrimination laws.\n<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at some examples of bias in writing and ways to fix them.\n<\/p>\n<p>A simple rule for bias-free writing is to consider whether personal details need to be included to communicate the message.<br \/>\n\n<\/p>\n<table class=\"oeru2 oeru-demo-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Avoid<\/th>\n<th>Try\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Franklin is the new African-American accountant.<\/td>\n<td>Franklin is the new accountant.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>For someone nearing retirement, she learned to use that new software quickly.<\/td>\n<td>She learned to use that new software quickly.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Abdul has some of the highest call-centre ratings, even though his Saudi accent is strong.<\/td>\n<td>Abdul has some of the highest call-centre ratings.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>John is one of our most active employees, even though he must use a wheelchair.<\/td>\n<td>John is one of our most active employees.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Did the cleaning lady bring new trash bags?<\/td>\n<td>Did the cleaner bring new trash bags?\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Do we have enough manpower to finish this project?<\/td>\n<td>Do we have enough staff to finish this project?\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Avoiding_gender_bias\">Avoiding gender bias<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Writing in a non-sexist way requires the ability to recognise sexism in the first place. The next step is to find a way to eliminate any inherent sexism without disrupting the flow of the piece. Here are a few techniques to help avoid bias.\n<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Gendered_nouns\">Gendered nouns<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The first way to avoid gender bias in your writing is to use gender-neutral words when referring to individuals in various positions:<br \/>\n\n<\/p>\n<table class=\"oeru2 oeru-demo-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Avoid<\/th>\n<th>Try\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>businessman, businesswoman<\/td>\n<td>business executive\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>chairman, chairwoman<\/td>\n<td>chairperson\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>the common man<\/td>\n<td>the average person\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>salesman, saleswoman<\/td>\n<td>salesperson, sales clerk, marketer\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Gendered_pronouns\">Gendered pronouns<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The next thing to be aware of is your use of gendered pronouns. While some still use &#8216;he&#8217; as a generic pronoun, this shows a strong bias towards male individuals. Instead you could use \u201che or she\u201d (\u201chis or her,\u201d etc) as the pronoun for a generic noun:<br \/>\n\n<\/p>\n<table class=\"oeru2 oeru-demo-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Avoid<\/th>\n<th>Try\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Every employee should file his report by the end of the day.<\/td>\n<td>Every employee should file his or her report by the end of the day.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>When filing the report, each employee should make sure he includes yesterday\u2019s data.<\/td>\n<td>When filing the report, each employee should make sure he or she includes yesterday\u2019s data.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Using \u201che or she\u201d is an okay solution, but it can look messy in large doses: \u201cEvery employee should check with his or her supervisor that his or her report was properly filed.\u201d Additionally, many individuals neither identify as male nor female and use &#8216;they&#8217; as a singular pronoun to refer to themselves. Thus, using \u201che or she\u201d is often not the best solution. The best solution is often to rephrase the sentence to have a plural subject instead of a singular subject.<br \/>\n\n<\/p>\n<table class=\"oeru2 oeru-demo-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Avoid<\/th>\n<th>Try\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Every employee should file his report by the end of the day.<\/td>\n<td>All employees should file their reports by the end of the day.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>When filing the report, each employee should make sure he or she includes yesterday\u2019s data.<\/td>\n<td>When filing the report, employees should make sure they include yesterday\u2019s data.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Any author knows that his first draft of a piece won\u2019t be good.<\/td>\n<td>All authors know that their first drafts won\u2019t be good.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\n<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Singular_they\">Singular they<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While &#8216;they&#8217; is typically treated as a plural pronoun, it can also be used as a singular pronoun (and still be grammatically correct <sup id=\"cite_ref-1\" class=\"reference\"><a href=\"#cite_note-1\">[1]<\/a><\/sup>). This is usually when:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> an  individual has expressed a desire to be identified with gender-neutral pronouns (they\/their\/theirs), or\n<\/li>\n<li> we don&#8217;t know what gender the person identifies as\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\nFor example, let\u2019s look at this sentence: \u201cSomeone will call you to discuss the issue. He or she will call between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning.\u201d Only one person will be making the call, but maybe we don&#8217;t know exactly who will be making the call. In this situation, the solution could be:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> &#8220;Someone will call you to discuss the issue. They will call between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning&#8221;, <b>or<\/b>\n<\/li>\n<li> \u201cSomeone will call you to discuss the issue. You can expect the call between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning.\u201d\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Avoiding_race_and_ethnicity_bias\">Avoiding race and ethnicity bias<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When speaking about a racial or ethnic group, deciding which term to use can be difficult because the meaning of particular terms and labels can frequently change. When choosing between terms to refer to a group, it is best to ask a member of that group what they prefer.\n<\/p>\n<p>As a general rule in a business setting, do not mention a person\u2019s race or ethnicity unless it is directly relevant to the situation.\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Avoiding_disability_bias\">Avoiding disability bias<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As a general rule, avoid using labelled nouns when talking about people with disabilities. Try to use emotionally neutral expressions rather than ones that assign a role, such as &#8216;victim&#8217;.<br \/>\n\n<\/p>\n<table class=\"oeru2 oeru-demo-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Avoid<\/th>\n<th>Try\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>the disabled<\/td>\n<td>people with disabilities\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>the schizophrenic<\/td>\n<td>the person diagnosed with schizophrenia\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>an AIDS victim<\/td>\n<td>a person with AIDS\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>a person suffering from epilepsy<\/td>\n<td>a person with epilepsy\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"panel iDevice\">\n\t<div class=\"panel-heading idevice-heading\">\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"pedagogicalicon\" alt=\"activity\" src=\"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-content\/themes\/oeru_course\/idevices\/Icon_activity.png\">\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<h2>Reflection<\/h2>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"panel-body\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12\">\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Think about an occasion when you have felt unwelcome &#8211; whether in a face-to-face group or because of writing or images that you have seen.\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> What aspects of the communication made you feel unwelcome?\n<\/li>\n<li> How did you react?\n<\/li>\n<li> What could the people involved have done differently to make you feel more welcome and included?\n<\/li>\n<li> What lessons can you learn from this for making your own writing more inclusive and free from bias?\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Write a short reflection about this situation in your learning journal.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"Acknowledgements\">Acknowledgements<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The content on this page (apart from the reflection activity) was adapted from <a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wmopen-businesscommunicationmgrs\/chapter\/word-choice-and-tone\/\">Word choice and tone<\/a>, authored by Susan Kendall and provided by Lumen Learning under a <a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC-BY-4.0 licence<\/a>. The content is part of the online course <a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wmopen-businesscommunicationmgrs\/\"><i>Business communication skills for managers<\/i><\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"mw-headline\" id=\"References\">References<\/span><\/h2>\n<ol class=\"references\">\n<li id=\"cite_note-1\"><span class=\"mw-cite-backlink\"><a href=\"#cite_ref-1\">\u2191<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"reference-text\">The University of Chicago Press. &#8220;Grammar &amp; Usage: Singular &#8216;they&#8217;. Chicago Manual of Style, 2017, p. 241<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- \nNewPP limit report\nCPU time usage: 0.034 seconds\nReal time usage: 0.037 seconds\nPreprocessor visited node count: 148\/1000000\nPreprocessor generated node count: 914\/1000000\nPost\u2010expand include size: 2531\/2097152 bytes\nTemplate argument size: 1066\/2097152 bytes\nHighest expansion depth: 7\/40\nExpensive parser function count: 0\/100\n--><\/p>\n<p><!-- Saved in parser cache with key we_en-mw_:pcache:idhash:187417-0!*!*!!en!2!* and timestamp 20201106010641 and revision id 1082248\n -->\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"visualClear\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12\">\n<ul class=\"pager\">\n<li class=\"previous\">\n            <a href=\"\/ccom101\/learning-pathways\/effective-business-writing-and-legal-considerations\/emphasis\">\u2190 Previous<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<li class=\"next\">\n            <a href=\"\/ccom101\/learning-pathways\/effective-business-writing-and-legal-considerations\/legal-implications-of-business-writing-1\">Next \u2192<\/a>\n          <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer><\/footer>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is bias-free writing? Bias-free writing is written communication that: is inclusive, fair, and welcoming to all potential readers, irrespective of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, health, and similar characteristics does not prejudice readers against a particular group of people does not make assumptions or generalisations about a particular group of people (&#8216;stereo-typing&#8217;) avoids using [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":790,"featured_media":0,"parent":10488,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10506","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/790"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10506"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10507,"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10506\/revisions\/10507"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/course.oeru.org\/ccom101\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}