Using inclusive terminology can go a long way towards making certain individuals feel welcome.
For example:
- Instead of saying “journeyman,” you can say “journeyperson.”
- Instead of saying “foreman,” you can say “foreperson.”
- Instead of saying “man hours,” you can say “work hours.”
- Instead of saying “manpower,” you can say “workforce” or “workforce needs.”
One thing to note is that certain individuals, including some women, prefer to be called a journeyman because they believe that is the status they have earned. In these situations, the best practice is to call individuals by the term they prefer – so if a woman would like to be called a journeyman, please do so. But when referring to entire groups, using the gender-neutral term is the best practice.
In 2019, SMART amended its Constitution to be completely gender neutral.
BE4ALL is currently working on developing an Inclusive Language Guide, so stay tuned!