Guide for the use of Non-Sexist Language

In romance languages, such as Catalan and Spanish, words like nouns, adjectives, articles and pronouns are subject to their grammatical gender. Catalan carries the masculine and feminine from Latin, while in other languages, such as English, these words have no gender. Only a 15% of the World’s languages present a masculine-feminine gender opposition. 

The use of masculine forms as neutral causes miscommunication and can have negative consequences for women, invisibilising and disregarding them. This has made current society consider this use as potentially excluding. 

Even today, many texts reflect sexist and androcentric views. These androcentric views make women invisible in certain areas, while sexist uses ignores one of two genders. 

Aim of the Guide 

This guide aims to identify and propose solutions to these sexist and androcentric uses of language. Furthermore, it describes linguistic strategies to avoid using the masculine as neutral. 

Guide for the Use of Non-Sexist Language at the UAB (Catalan) (2011)

Ten clues for a non-sexist use of language (Catalan) (2018)

Tips for a non-sexist use of language (Catalan) (2025)

Other resources

Recommendations for the appropriate use of language in universities. (Catalan).

Appeal prepared by the CRUE, the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities, and approved by the Plenary of Gender Equality Policies in the session of July 19, 2024. The aim of this document is to provide basic recommendations to promote a non-sexist use of language at university level and contribute to the 2030 agenda.