Gender Inclusivity in Easy Read: Is that possible?

Gender-inclusive language and easy read share a common underlying idea: They are intended to prevent discrimination against underprivileged target groups. But is gender-inclusive language at all compatible with easy read?

As an online marketing agency that develops accessible websites and works not only with companies, but also with public authorities and other organizations, we are often asked this question. You can find the answer in this article.

Why are there doubts regarding the compatibility between gender-inclusive language and easy read?

Easy read is aimed at people with cognitive impairments or limited language skills. These are the requirements for these target groups:

• Short sentences (for PDFs: not separated by page breaks)
• One statement per sentence
• Many short paragraphs
• Compact writing style with no filler wording
• Terms as simple as possible
• If difficult terms are unavoidable, then include an explanation
• Separation of compound nouns using hyphens
• Describe large numbers, e.g., as “very much,” “very large”
• Put in bold any negating words such as “not” or “no”
• and so on.

Gender-inclusive language is meant to serve as an expression of non-discrimination; in particular, women and non-binary people should also be included alongside men. Many companies and public institutions in Germany adopt gender-neutral language to promote linguistic equality and inclusively address all genders.

In contrast to English, many German words are not inherently gender-neutral, requiring a shift away from traditionally masculine generic forms.

English:	“The teacher is responsible.” Here, “teacher” is gender-neutral by default in English.
German:	“Der Lehrer ist verantwortlich.” Masculine form “Lehrer” is used generically, but it implicitly prioritizes male teachers.

There are different methods for expressing yourself in a gender-inclusive way in German. Here are some of them:

• Double Mentioning: Explicitly naming both genders, e.g., “Lehrer und Lehrerinnen” (teachers, male and female).
• Gender Special Characters: Using symbols like the gender asterisk (*), colon (:), or capitalized “I” within words, e.g., “Lehrerinnen,” “Lehrer:innen,” or “LehrerInnen.”

Unfortunately, in many cases gender inclusivity complicates our language. It is therefore questionable whether gender-inclusive language and easy read work well together in practice, despite their common underlying idea.

Gender-inclusivity and Easy Read: How it works

The only form of gender-inclusive German language that harmonizes with easy read is the use of neutral terms. Here are a few examples:

• Human (Mensche)
• Person (Person)
• People (Leute)
• Member (Mitglieder)
• Guest (Gäste)

These words leave it completely open as to whether they refer to women or men. They are also common terms with an easily understandable meaning.

Generic masculine

It is also advisable to use the generic masculine. The generic masculine means: If you write “teacher”, for example, you don’t just mean male teachers (German: “Lehrer”), but also female (German: “Lehrerin”) and diverse teachers.

However, the generic masculine is not gender-inclusive language, but rather everyday language. If you would like to clarify that the generic masculine is also intended to address women and diverse people, you can include a suitable note.

Example of gender inclusivity statement:

Such a gender inclusivity statement can also be made in easy read, in the following example by addressing the reader directly using the informal “you” (German: “Du”). In easy read, the informal “you” (“Du”) is often used to make texts particularly accessible.

Example of gender inclusivity statement in easy read:

Suitable places for such a note are:

• For websites: In the accessibility statement or as a link at the end of the pages
• For essays: Between cover page and the table of contents
• For other documents: At the end of the document

On websites and other documents, it is unusual to place at the beginning the statement regarding the generic masculine. This is because it can be assumed that readers read the text mainly because they are interested in a specific everyday goal, such as transferring knowledge, contacting the authorities or purchasing products or services. Although it is desirable to use non-discriminatory language, this is not necessarily a priority.

Fortunately, for many people, non-discrimination is a given, so it does not necessarily have to be pointed out – unless the originator desires to do it.

Gender-inclusivity and Easy Read: This is not the way to do it 

The following forms of use of gender-inclusive language are in conflict with easy read:

Form of gender-inclusive phrasing	Example	Clarification
Double reference	Masculine and feminine forms for “teachers” in German (“Lehrer” and “Lehrerinnen”)	The double reference makes the text awkward. The focus on gender distracts from the actual content of the statement. Exception: Phrases such as “Ladies and gentlemen” are commonly used even by people who need easy read.
Participles in German	Teachers (“Lehrende”), students (“Studierende”)	Paraphrasing by means of participles makes it difficult to understand the text, as many of these terms are not widely used. It is also confusing because in German the “-end” form usually describes an action that is currently taking place. The use of the participle form for “teachers” (German: “Lehrende”) would therefore imply they are teachers only while they are teaching, but not when they are not teaching.
“innen” constructs in German using a so-called “gender asterisk” (German: “Gender-Stern”, a colon, or a capital i	der / die Lehrer*innen der / die Lehrer:innen der / die LehrerInnen	In easy read, hyphens are already used to make compound nouns easier to understand. The use of special characters in addition to regular punctuation marks and hyphens is not recommended. Asterisks are normally used for footnotes and references, colons for bulleted lists or introductions. Screen readers also struggle with colons. Capital letters in the middle of words are unusual except for abbreviations, and a capital “i” can be misinterpreted as a lowercase “L”.

We recommend refraining from using the above-mentioned forms for gender-inclusive terms in easy read texts. Even less common forms of gender-inclusive language should be avoided.

Stay in sync with your target audience

We would like to point out that companies, authorities, foundations and other organizations that ask about the compatibility of gender-inclusive language and easy read are unfortunately sometimes given the wrong advice.

The reason is this: As described at the beginning, gender-inclusive language and easy read have the common goal of ensuring non-discrimination. It therefore stands to reason that decision-makers who are aware of their social responsibility and understandably attach great importance to ensuring non-discrimination would prefer to have both.

Based on our project experience, there is usually no reason why you should not use gender-inclusive language in regular texts. We only advise against using it in easy read texts. This is because making the text too complicated or focusing too much on gender instead of the content of the text is not in the best interest of these target groups.

For all issues relating to non-discrimination, we strongly recommend that decisions be made with the involvement of the target groups. Otherwise, you run the risk of missing your actual objective or making your organization a target for criticism.

For example: To supposedly avoid discrimination, the Humboldt Forum has removed the word “Oberindianer” (German: “big chief”; literally, “head Indian”) from Lindenberg’s song “Sonderzug nach Pankow” and replaced it with “Ober-iiiiii”. Carmen Kwasny, Chairwoman of the Native American Association of Germany NAAOG then commented on this:

“To label the word ‘Indian’ as racist is very problematic since it is used by many Native Americans. A ban on it is a slap in the face to these people as they identify with their tribal nation or community. […] As an association, we have never called for the word Indian to be excluded from the language.”

Please involve the target groups, seek a direct exchange and always examine with a critical eye whether your good intentions really do lead to the desired goal after a reality check.

Contact options for companies

As an online marketing agency with practical experience in the development of accessible websites and websites in easy read, we are happy to provide our support for your projects.

Please send us preliminary information in writing using the contact form below. We will gladly advise you personally on the phone, by video conference or on site.