Yesterday, I argued that this Maternity Allowances Bill is a step forward for women’s rights (even if too narrowly focused on women in Westminster). But the words ‘she’, ‘her’ or ‘women’ don’t appear once in the bill... (1/4)
One person suggested it was fine - a bit like saying ‘chairperson’. But giving birth is not like chairing a meeting. These language rows are not technical issues - we have to consider the political context. These new language codes are forcing us to engage in doublespeak... (2/4)
Language matters. I’m a woman, not a cis-woman. How will doctors & nurses talk about mastitis accurately while using language like chest feeding? How will official documents like the census be accurate while mangling gender identity and biological sex?... (3/4)
This bill was supposed to be about gains for women in relation to maternity leave and - most important - women’s freedom. I urged the minister to not betray us now by using confusing and obfuscating language in this bill... (4/4)
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