Gender asterisk or domestic I: How is it going with the Austrians? The “Krone” asked Nadine Ejupi of the IFDD Institute.
Home of wonderful daughters and sons. The gender debate has been on everyone’s lips in Austria since 2017. In Germany, author Uwe Tellkampf recently complained about the “violation of language” by gender. The discussion heats up, experts and language enthusiasts are arguing equally – as many arguments speak for a gender neutral language as against it.
Without gendering, gender is overemphasized: the doctor, the cleaning lady. However, when it means doctor or cleaner, the term loses its gender character, which can promote equality, as a 2018 Swedish study showed. On the other hand, gender stars and the like often encounter reactance in society and disrupt the reading flow. Lack of gender-appropriate language, or is everyone no longer allowed to hear from Binnen-I?
71 percent against gender in the media
The study commissioned by the “Krone” with study leader Nadine Ejupi of the Institute for Demoscopy and Data Analysis asked 1,250 eligible Austrians aged 16 and over. The result: the vast majority of 71 percent do not want gender in the media, 40 percent are even for a ban in public institutions.
Three in four respondents also see the debate as “emotional and intense”. Incidentally, more than 80 percent of those surveyed agree that “in the end we decide for ourselves what will prevail in the language”. And: for two-thirds, gender equality is apparently not that important when it comes to equal treatment (“I usually agree” or “I totally disagree”)…
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
