Wikipedia policies encourage writers to take care when writing about women, choosing proper descriptors when describing people from specific regions, and to use gender neutral words. This is important for creating identity-safe spaces.
When writing about women it’s vital to reference their works and accomplishments as an individual in order to avoid gender bias. If she was the first woman to complete a certain accomplishment it is important to acknowledge her other achievements prior. This assists in avoiding unconscious gender bias whilst reading biographies of women.
Relationship are also important to reference correctly when writing about women. Wikipedia article about women address their relationships more often than articles about men. When it is necessary to discuss avoid terms such as, “man and wife” and “Mrs. John Doe.” These word choices come off sexist and mark the women as objects their husbands own. If their relationship is not correlated to their works and achievements discussed then it is best to leave it out.
Gender neutral language should be used when writing and editing Wikipedia articles to steer clear of misgendering and the use of “unnecessary reinforcement of traditional stereotypes” (Wikipedia: Gender Neutral Language, 2019). In order to compose gender neutral content the use of the singular pronoun, they is appropriate. Always including both genders is another solution but does not take into account people who do not identify as either male or female. Because “man” is seen as the norm or given I personally like to use “she” to combat the patriarchal contributions regarding language. When I reference a theoretical being I choose “she” but “they” I think is more proper.
When choosing descriptive words for people it is necessary to refrain from inappropriate or racial terms. Wikipedia urges the descriptor the group of people being referenced prefer. Instead of choosing “Asian,” a very broad and expansive region, it is best to narrow down and choose “Japanese” when referring people from Japan. Another point to mention is the significance of not choosing to use derogatory terminologies. Instead of referring to African American as “colored,” which is very hurtful to the African American community, it is best to instead use “African Americans” or “Black people.”
Insuring usage of neutral and PC terminologies is critical to write informational and unbiased pieces. From respecting women’s achievements, people’s gender identities, to people’s ethnicities. Wikipedia has guidelines to help us navigate our ways to contributing sound and civil work.
Bibliography: “Manual of Style.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Gender-neutral_language.
“Manual of Style.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Identity.
“Writing about Women.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Sept. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Writing_about_women.
“Gender-Neutral Language.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 July 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Gender-neutral_language.
