||Most societies have historically been patriarchal and the feminist movement arose only relatively recently. There can be no ideological equality as long as the stigma of being born differently or belonging to the "inferior sex" still exists. People make assumptions about others based entirely on their gender, for example females are assumed to be weak and caring while males are supposed to be dominant and strong. The use of vernacular language implies a sexist attitude prevalent in society. There are several solutions to reduce the apparent sexist vocabulary. Sex is defined as biological and physiological characteristics, which can be simplified as male or female (World Health Organization website). However, gender is defined as “socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women” (World Health Organization website). This means that sex is based on a person's physical biology, while gender is based on the social roles the person is expected to adhere to. Linguistic determinism is a theory that states “that language can determine thought” and is supported by “cognitive differences that lead people to speak languages with different grammatical structures” (Wasserman and Weseley). Linguistic relativity has greater support and refers to “the idea that language can reflect and preserve existing social structures and influence the perception of reality” (Wasserman and Weseley). The social justification effect is defined as disadvantaged groups “rationalizing society puts them at a disadvantage and therefore embracing the idea that their group is inferior” (Wasserman and Weseley). Gender typing is used to dis.... .. middle of paper......Unequitable Gender Equality Of Nonsexist Children's Literature." Sex Roles 50.5/6 (2004): 373-385. SocINDEX with full text. Web. 10 January 2012. Green, Jonathon. “Language makes the man.” Critical Quarterly 42.1 (2000): 100. AcademicSearch Complete. 10 January 2012. Leaper, Campbell and Rebecca S. Bigler Sexist Thought." Society For Research In Child Development Monographs 69.1 (2004): 128-142. Academic research completed, January 10, 2012. Wasserman, Benjamin, and Allyson Weseley. Quoi? Do languages with grammatical gender promote sexist attitudes?." Sex Roles 61.9/10 (2009): 634-643. SocINDEX withFull Text. Web. 10 January 2012.WHO, . "What Do We Mean by "Sex" and "Gender"?."World Health Organization. World Health Organization, nd Web. 10 January 2012. .

Topic > ||Most societies have historically been patriarchal and the feminist movement arose only relatively recently. There can be no ideological equality as long as the stigma of being born differently or belonging to the "inferior sex" still exists. People make assumptions about others based entirely on their gender, for example females are assumed to be weak and caring while males are supposed to be dominant and strong. The use of vernacular language implies a sexist attitude prevalent in society. There are several solutions to reduce the apparent sexist vocabulary. Sex is defined as biological and physiological characteristics, which can be simplified as male or female (World Health Organization website). However, gender is defined as “socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women” (World Health Organization website). This means that sex is based on a person's physical biology, while gender is based on the social roles the person is expected to adhere to. Linguistic determinism is a theory that states “that language can determine thought” and is supported by “cognitive differences that lead people to speak languages with different grammatical structures” (Wasserman and Weseley). Linguistic relativity has greater support and refers to “the idea that language can reflect and preserve existing social structures and influence the perception of reality” (Wasserman and Weseley). The social justification effect is defined as disadvantaged groups “rationalizing society puts them at a disadvantage and therefore embracing the idea that their group is inferior” (Wasserman and Weseley). Gender typing is used to dis.... .. middle of paper......Unequitable Gender Equality Of Nonsexist Children's Literature." Sex Roles 50.5/6 (2004): 373-385. SocINDEX with full text. Web. 10 January 2012. Green, Jonathon. “Language makes the man.” Critical Quarterly 42.1 (2000): 100. AcademicSearch Complete. 10 January 2012. Leaper, Campbell and Rebecca S. Bigler Sexist Thought." Society For Research In Child Development Monographs 69.1 (2004): 128-142. Academic research completed, January 10, 2012. Wasserman, Benjamin, and Allyson Weseley. Quoi? Do languages with grammatical gender promote sexist attitudes?." Sex Roles 61.9/10 (2009): 634-643. SocINDEX withFull Text. Web. 10 January 2012.WHO, . "What Do We Mean by "Sex" and "Gender"?."World Health Organization. World Health Organization, nd Web. 10 January 2012. .