Writing for Business Success/Effective business writing/Bias free writing
Contents
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 ('stereo-typing')
- avoids using descriptions of people that are not relevant to the context
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.
Let’s look at some examples of bias in writing and ways to fix them.
A simple rule for bias-free writing is to consider whether personal details need to be included to communicate the message.
Avoid | Try |
---|---|
Franklin is the new African-American accountant. | Franklin is the new accountant. |
For someone nearing retirement, she learned to use that new software quickly. | She learned to use that new software quickly. |
Abdul has some of the highest call-centre ratings, even though his Saudi accent is strong. | Abdul has some of the highest call-centre ratings. |
John is one of our most active employees, even though he must use a wheelchair. | John is one of our most active employees. |
Did the cleaning lady bring new trash bags? | Did the cleaner bring new trash bags? |
Do we have enough manpower to finish this project? | Do we have enough staff to finish this project? |
Avoiding gender bias
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.
Gendered nouns
The first way to avoid gender bias in your writing is to use gender-neutral words when referring to individuals in various positions:
Avoid | Try |
---|---|
businessman, businesswoman | business executive |
chairman, chairwoman | chairperson |
the common man | the average person |
salesman, saleswoman | salesperson, sales clerk, marketer |
Gendered pronouns
The next thing to be aware of is your use of gendered pronouns. While some still use 'he' as a generic pronoun, this shows a strong bias towards male individuals. Instead you could use “he or she” (“his or her,” etc) as the pronoun for a generic noun:
Avoid | Try |
---|---|
Every employee should file his report by the end of the day. | Every employee should file his or her report by the end of the day. |
When filing the report, each employee should make sure he includes yesterday’s data. | When filing the report, each employee should make sure he or she includes yesterday’s data. |
Using “he or she” is an okay solution, but it can look messy in large doses: “Every employee should check with his or her supervisor that his or her report was properly filed.” Additionally, many individuals neither identify as male nor female and use 'they' as a singular pronoun to refer to themselves. Thus, using “he or she” 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.
Avoid | Try |
---|---|
Every employee should file his report by the end of the day. | All employees should file their reports by the end of the day. |
When filing the report, each employee should make sure he or she includes yesterday’s data. | When filing the report, employees should make sure they include yesterday’s data. |
Any author knows that his first draft of a piece won’t be good. | All authors know that their first drafts won’t be good. |
Singular they
While 'they' is typically treated as a plural pronoun, it can also be used as a singular pronoun (and still be grammatically correct [1]). This is usually when:
- an individual has expressed a desire to be identified with gender-neutral pronouns (they/their/theirs), or
- we don't know what gender the person identifies as
For example, let’s look at this sentence: “Someone will call you to discuss the issue. He or she will call between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning.” Only one person will be making the call, but maybe we don't know exactly who will be making the call. In this situation, the solution could be:
- "Someone will call you to discuss the issue. They will call between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning", or
- “Someone will call you to discuss the issue. You can expect the call between 9:00 and 10:00 tomorrow morning.”
Avoiding race and ethnicity bias
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.
As a general rule in a business setting, do not mention a person’s race or ethnicity unless it is directly relevant to the situation.
Avoiding disability bias
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 'victim'.
Avoid | Try |
---|---|
the disabled | people with disabilities |
the schizophrenic | the person diagnosed with schizophrenia |
an AIDS victim | a person with AIDS |
a person suffering from epilepsy | a person with epilepsy |
Acknowledgements
The content on this page (apart from the reflection activity) was adapted from Word choice and tone, authored by Susan Kendall and provided by Lumen Learning under a CC-BY-4.0 licence. The content is part of the online course Business communication skills for managers.
References
- ↑ The University of Chicago Press. "Grammar & Usage: Singular 'they'. Chicago Manual of Style, 2017, p. 241