First steps towards more inclusive language

This section presents key terms you need to know in order to make your language more inclusive. It also explains why we recommend that you mention gender in certain cases.

This section is designed to help you understand the key principles for using gender-sensitive language.

This toolkit includes examples of three types of language that fall on an ‘inclusivity scale’.

The inclusivity scale in language:

We normally recommend that you aim to favour the most inclusive form of language: gender-sensitive language. In certain contexts, it may also be acceptable to use gender-neutral language.