The United Nations issued a reminder to use gender-neutral language when addressing groups of people.
“Help create a more equal world by using gender-neutral language if you’re unsure about someone’s gender or are referring to a group,” the U.N. tweeted on Monday.
What you say matters.
Help create a more equal world by using gender-neutral language if you’re unsure about someone’s gender or are referring to a group. https://t.co/QQRFPY4VRn #GenerationEquality via@UN_Women pic.twitter.com/koxoAZZuxq
— United Nations (@UN) May 18, 2020
The guidance comes from UN Women, which is an “entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide,” according to its website.
The guidance, for instance, calls for ending the use of the word “businessman” in favor of “representative,” or “spouse” instead of “husband/wife.”
The United States has been the largest donor to the U.N., giving about $10 billion in 2018, or about a fifth of the organization’s collective budget.
President Trump announced in April that he was halting funds to an agency within the U.N., the World Health Organization, over its coronavirus response.
“With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible,” Trump said at the time.
