Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Are there many `gendered` job names left?

80 replies

DropYourSword · 16/10/2013 09:06

Was thinking recently about this and the pointlessness of defining whether the worker is male or female.

Doctor, pilot, teacher, nurse etc aren't gendered (although I do appreciate that some people may assume the workers gender). I know we use headteacher now instead of headmistress / headmaster and stewardess is now flight attendant etc.

The only thing I can think of is waiter and waitress. I wad wondering if there were moreand what the suggestion would be for renaming it.

OP posts:
DropYourSword · 16/10/2013 09:48

I've missed some really obvious ones Blush

OP posts:
wintersnight · 16/10/2013 09:47

I teach an ESOL class and I really struggled with alternatives to repair man as repair person doesn't sound like natural English. Others were easier so gas man can be gas engineer etc. Dinner lady versus lunchtime supervisor was another tricky one. It's hard to find the balance between teaching the language people use and not using sexist language.

PenguinsDontEatPancakes · 16/10/2013 09:36

Actress is still used a lot rather than actor.

Takver · 16/10/2013 09:24

Also I think people tend on the whole to say Policeman / Policewoman rather than police officer if referring to a particular person

Takver · 16/10/2013 09:21

Fireman - rarely hear Firefighter in the UK