Do you object when you are referred to in the male form of your job title?

[headfairy]

I'm not sure I'm phrasing this correctly... are you offended for example if you are referred to as a chairman rather than chairperson? Waiter instead of waitress? Actor instead of Actress?

One of the jobs I do is pretty male dominated and the job description is {jobname}man.... It just sounds odd to refer to it as {jobname}woman or {jobname}person. Should I insist on being referred to as a {jobname}woman/person?

Is any of this making any sense at all

[RedBlanket]

Mine is X Manager

It would seem very odd to be called manageress. If indeed that is the female form. What would be the equivalent taking 'man' out of the description?

[Pan]

Firefighters have fought to be called firefighters - neutral.
Actresses, I am told prefer the generic 'actor' tag.
Chair person really should be "chair".

[headfairy]

maybe it'll be easier if I tell you the job title... I'm a cameraman. I have been for a while now. But I'm a woman. Camerawoman sounds odd. I don't know anyone who's referred to as a camerawoman. There aren't very many of us in my line of work, but we're all cameramen. Referring to myself as a camera would just be odd.

[AnyFucker]

there is no gender-specific title for my job

I think it would irritate me, but not ruin my day, IYSWIM

you see, i don't mind being called "Mrs" because that is what I am

assuming you are man because you are a firefighter, for example, though would certainly grate

[AnyFucker]

could you not just be a "moving photographer"

[Pan]

camerafighter...er...

visual imaging device technician. Sorted.

[AnyFucker]

camera operator

[msrisotto]

Camera operator, technician, guru, your choice.

I just don't think gender is important enough to put in the job title, but it's not fair to assume every job is for men so sometimes, a neutral title needs to be found. Someone said on another thread that manageress, was like saying she-manager. It's women as other.

[msrisotto]

Men as default (pressed post message too soon!)

[headfairy]

I see what you mean about the men as default point. Most cameraoperators in news are men, so the job is usually referred to as cameraman. I should hunt out one of the other women here and ask them how they like to be referred to. They're pretty thin on the ground though...

[fluffles]

i'm a "blah blah manager" - i think that the word manageress is a bit odd and unnecessary because i don't think manager is gendered word.

i have been a "waitress" very gendered, and nobody EVERY called me a "waiter" though again, there's no reason why a waiter should be male.

in spoken communication i use 'chair' to refer to a chairperson.. bit odd, calling them a bit of furniture but i'm more happy with 'chair' than 'chairperson' or chairman/chairwoman.

i would expect a cameraman to be a man, and would be very surprised to meet a female cameraman...

[LolaRennt]

Camera tech?

[LolaRennt]

We say server in the US instead of waitress/waiter

[FannyPriceless]

I get more cross if I hear references to the 'female' version of a job title that should be regarded as gender neutral. e.g. manageress, lady doctor.

It is my mission in life to eliminate all gender labelling in job titles! Even when I am referring to men in a job I always use a gender neutral term, e.g. sales person, police officer, flight attendant, etc.

Go on - challenge me to find a gender neutral term for any sticky ones you have come across!

[upahill]

No I'm just grateful I've got a job after all the redundancies that have hit my place tbh.

[headfairy]

Well Fanny, can you find one for a cameraman? Camera technician sounds ... a bit technical. I'm an artist don'tcha know? :o

Seriously though, work have come up with a ridiculously poncey name which offends me more than cameraman.

[msrisotto]

Visual imaging director I reckons.

[TanteAC]

Surely 'Camera Lady ' would be much, much nicer?


I once heard a woman in her 30s reference the 'Lady Busdriver'. Had an odd visual image of some Little Britain-style minor royal driving around. Ridiculous

[headfairy]

tante But I'm not a laaaaayyyyyydy. I'm a woman :o

Can't stand being referred to as a lady.

[aliceliddell]

Bare breasts, headfairy? It's not even half past four!

[TeamDamon]

I love being a teacher

Although in certain types of schools (in one of which I may or may not teach ), which have ye olde poncey sexist titles, it sounds much less strange to be Master i/c Debating or whatever than it does to be Mistress i/c Debating. The word 'mistress' has all sorts of unfortunate connotations...

[headfairy]

:o Aliceliddell

Damon, you're just injecting those connotations in to the word Mistress (you filthy sod) :o

[FannyPriceless]

headfairy Doesn't anyone say camera person? That's what I would say.

What dreadful thing have they suggested?

[PrettyCandles]

I visited a school where they didn't have a Deputy Headwhatever, or an Assistant Headwhatever, but a Vice Master. Reader, I snurked.

IMO with job titles that do not have 'man' in the name, but are modified to create a female form, eg waiter/waitress, the generic form should cover all genders, ie waiter.

Titles that do have 'man' in the name should be replaced by a different form entirely, eg chairperson, firefighter.

With some titles that would be tricky - camera artist?

And perhapd there should be allowance for people who wish to retain a gender-specific form for their own job, particularly when they are not one of many in that place, eg headmaster, headmistress.

[headfairy]

no, no one says camera person, probably because it's been cameraman for so long now there are a few women working in the role it's just become the norm to be a cameraman....

It's not that poncey, it's a bit of a mouthful, but we're called Broadcast camera journalists... but everyone calls us cameramen