ABSTRACT
Sixty-four percent of teachers in mixed-sex secondary schools hear sexist language in school on at least a weekly basis. Over a quarter of teachers (29%) report that sexist language is a daily occurrence. ‘Language is one of the most powerful means through which sexism and gender discrimination are perpetrated and reproduced’, suggests research. Both male and female students report the common use of language which associates negative characteristics with being female – ‘you throw like a girl’, ‘don't be a pussy’ – and more positive characteristics with being male – ‘man-up’. Language can be a tool of real power, used with intent to routinely humiliate, degrade and shrink people down to size: the size of the space you want them to occupy. Alternatively, our intentions may not align with the way that language is received, and that is a huge problem.
