• 2023-05-18

Debate: Are you a woman worker or a man director?

The impact of gender-sensitive language on the socio-economic position of women

On 18 May 2023, the CDF organised the debate: Are you a woman worker or a man director? (The impact of gender-sensitive language on the socio-economic position of women) as part of the Socioeconomic Rights and Sustainable Development project.

Partaking in the discussion were: Nina Mitić, Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue; Svenka Savić, professor emeritus; Marijana Pajvančić, retired professor at the University of Novi Sad; Maja Micić, Democratization Department of the OSCE Mission to Serbia; Marina Nikolić, Institute for the Serbian Language of SASA; Jelena Filipović, Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade; Jelena Lalatović, Institute for Literature and Art; Marjana Stevanović, journalist of the newspaper Danas; Kosana Becker, FemPlatz Association; Nataša Vučković, Center for Democracy Foundation; Leila Ruždić Trifunović; Marina Savković, Metropolitan University.

The CDF, with the support of the Olof Palme International Center, organised a debate to discuss the importance of the full implementation of the Law on Gender Equality, which prescribes the use of gender-sensitive language as one of the measures that ensures the equal participation and representation of women and men in all spheres of social life and equal opportunities to exercise rights and freedoms. The use of gender-sensitive language affects the greater visibility of women in public life, especially in terms of labour, and therefore contributes to the democratisation of society and raising awareness of the importance of equality between women and men.

Why there is opposition to the use of gender-sensitive language in Serbia was also part of the discussion, with the frequent argument that this an attack against the language and not in accordance with linguistical norms. Why does the public still resist and argue this issue? How important is gender-sensitive language to achieving full gender equality and improving the socioeconomic position of women? What recommendations have been made for the use of gender-sensitive language in job titles, position titles and the names of occupations? How can non-discriminatory speech become the standard in Serbia as it is in other places? Is it the role of the Church to discourage the implementation of enacted laws? What is the role of public speakers and the media in these matters? We discussed these and other issues with representatives of decision-makers, the academic community, the media, CSOs and prominent experts.

The debate was organised via the Social and Economic Rights and Sustainable Development project, with the financial support of the Olof Palme International Center.

Center for Democracy Foundation