Do I have to use the term people with a cervix in my thesis?

[Meixo]

I'm dismayed some of my reference sources are using this term. Only females have a cervix. Is my stance likely to upset my university? I might put a some sources about barriers trans people face when accessing cervical screening. Cervical cancer is a female disease. I refuse to share my pronouns, it's something I've never done. I believe biological sex and gender are very different things.

There will be somewhere in your University where you can ask. Or you can make a decision and explain it in your introduction.

Does your thesis deal specifically with cervixes? Or medicine in general? I find a useful point to make is talking about other areas of gender medicine - e.g. differences in drug dosages, different heart attack symptoms, etc. Not much point talking about heart with uterus attacks or the way kidneys with a cervix handle the same drugs as compared to kidneys with a prostate.

I really feel for you Meixo.

I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions but I hope you can navigate this without compromising your beliefs or upsetting the people who will be judging your thesis.

Lots of luck.

I had a similar dilemma a couple of years ago (a paper not a thesis) and I wish I'd understood as much as I do now. If I had my time again, I would define my language, and explain why i.e. for clarity. You could agree with the ethics commitee or similar so that you hve cover if challenged

You might find this article helpful OP.

www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.818856/full

Explain you are concerned about cultural imperialism and improper use of privilege.

"We suggest consideration of the following questions: How can I be clear? How can I include the people who should be included and exclude the people who should be excluded? How can I ensure that people understand what I mean and can readily recognize themselves? How can I avoid dehumanizing language? Does it make sense to apply a gendered understanding of words or a sexed understanding? Am I engaging in cultural imperialism or improper use of privilege by requiring others to use language in a particular way? How does language usage support or undermine the rights of women and children?"

That's crazy you are even asking this question. Surely only women - those both female - have a cervix!

Have y'all seen that awful tiktok where a girl gets a 0% on a paper bc she uses the the term "biological female"? I wish I had better advice for you, but maybe you should directly ask your instructor or academic advisor

That looks to be a great and helpful article.

Any well-argued rationale setting out why you choose to use the language that you do in the thesis, and why it doesn't necessarily match the terminology used in the sources that you cite, should be totally acceptable in any educational institution worthy of the name.

That said, I suspect that much depends on the attitude of your supervisor, sadly. The law is on your side, but that isn't necessarily a comfort to you if you find yourself in a difficult position and with a limited ability to enforce it.

What the hell has happened to our culture! I had the same reaction when someone referred to me as a "birthing person" not a mother. Biologically I am a female.

That's appalling. Is that real? do you know if she appealed?

Have a look at the Women’s Health Strategy 2022. There is a specific paragraph about the importance of using sex based language. If the Uni want to kick up a fuss tell them you are following government guidelines. If that’s a problem they need to take it up with them.

https://www.tiktok.com/@oliveourviews/video/7235725143924804907 Here's the original tikkitytok, she has twitter now but I can't find the @ again.

Surely it would wreak havoc on your word count?
Women is 1 word, "people with a cervix" is 4. For that reason alone I'd try to use the former unless you're specifically talking about trans individuals.

I would use the term, "biological woman" and put something in the introduction that you are using that term in a purely medical way and that it includes trans men who have a cervix.