Language in Use 145-146
The goal of this unit is to show how a -,-cry familiar pattern in our vocabulary
can reveal much about the attitude of our culture to what those words classify. It
takes as its starting point the fact that certain tasks are traditionally thought
to be the prerogative of one sex or the other, and goes on to explore how the
patterns of the vocabulary we use perpetuate these assumptions.
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[1] The aim of this session is to discover which tasks in the household are regarded as the man's job, and which the woman's. In discussion, consider such jobs as cooking, washing, washing-up, shopping, decorating gardening, driving or washing the car, changing nappies, pushing the pram or mending fuses. The discussion should look at the position of brothers and sisters, as well as fathers and mothers, and consider to what extent tensions arise where there is uncertainty as to who should do what within the family.
[2/3] The aim of these sessions is to show that a number of words in
the language carry with them the suggestion that particular jobs are properly
performed by one sex or the other, and thereby show that such additional meanings
are an essential part of the way language determines how we behave. This may
be done in three ways:
(a) by writing up the words Manager and Manageress, and asking the class to
supply a list of organisations or
institutions they may be found in charge of
(b) by asking for examples of words which name jobs traditionally reserved for
one sex, such as matron, au pair,
jockey-or disc jockey. A variation of this is to write up
a list of terms like 'con woman', 'charman' or 'nightwatchwoman'
where the normal indications have been reversed
(c) by asking for words like mayor which usually connote one sex, but may be
the other and exploring the linguistic difficulties
that follow.
[4] For this session, each member of the class should compile a list of names
for jobs. By attempting to sort them into two simple lists, one clearly male,
the other female, the class will discover that:
(a) one term or the other has to be specially marked, as in doctor/ lady doctor
or nurse/male nurse
(b) a similar job has different labels, as in Air Steward/Air Hostess
(c) some pairs have a missing term, as in -/fishwife, -/tomboy, or wide boy/-.
(d) in some related jobs, as in bus conductor/bus conductress and bus driver/-,
a missing term may be significant.
The discussion will show how the resources of the language are exploited for this kind of labelling and consequently where the culture reveals itself in the gaps and special cases that occur.
Related topics are explored in D7 and H6.