Gender Policy in German-Speaking Countries and in Slovakia with an Emphasis on Language Policy in Relation to the Application of Gender Equality in the Language against the Background of European Policy and Law Cover Image

Rodová politika v nemecky hovoriacich krajinách a na Slovensku s dôrazom na uplatňovanie rodovej rovnosti v jazyku na pozadí európskej rodovej politiky a práva
Gender Policy in German-Speaking Countries and in Slovakia with an Emphasis on Language Policy in Relation to the Application of Gender Equality in the Language against the Background of European Policy and Law

Author(s): Jana Štefaňáková
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Government/Political systems, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment, EU-Legislation
Published by: Univerzita Mateja Bela
Keywords: Langue-Gender Policy; Institutional and Legislative Framework of Gender Equality in Austria; Germany and Switzerland; Institutional and Legislative Framework of Gender Equality in Slovakia;

Summary/Abstract: In recent decades, in line with European gender policy, the issue of gender mainstreaming has also come to the fore, leading to a debate on the use of inclusive or gender-balanced language in several developed countries. As a result of gender policy and legislation, changes are taking place in almost all languages as a result of the balanced expression of the proportion of men and women. Feminist-oriented language research, which has criticized the inappropriate use of generic masculine, has encouraged the development of gender-balanced or neutral language strategies in many languages. In countries where the concept of political correctness has long been used and correctness is also required by legal instruments, a certain awareness of gender-balanced use of language has been achieved. Such countries include the German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where awareness of the use of gender-symmetrical language began to develop on a linguistic-political basis rather than in post-socialist countries, including Slovakia. The aim of the present study is to provide insight into the current political and legislative framework for gender equality in the German-speaking countries of Austria, Germany and Switzerland and Slovakia with an emphasis on gender policy in relation to the use of gender-symmetric language from a comparative perspective. It is based on the fact that in the German-speaking environment, the public debate on gender equality in all aspects is more established and more developed than in Slovakia.

  • Issue Year: 25/2022
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 186-210
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Slovak