The Indian Navy is adopting gender-neutral language in its official communication, India Today has reported.
The Navy believes that after the induction of women in all its branches, both as officers and as Agniveers, there is a requirement for adopting gender-neutral language in all official correspondence, policy documents, and internal communication.
As per the report, the naval headquarters has come out with a detailed communiqué. From now on, the Indian Navy will use such gender-neutral titles as ‘Mess Staff’, ‘Service Person’, and ‘Navigator’s/ Gunner’s/ Communication Assistant’ in place of the older ‘Messman’, ‘Serviceman’, and ‘Yeoman’, respectively. In addition, they will follow other neutral words gradually gaining ground in civil society, like ‘humanity’ for ‘mankind’.
The Navy believes that the purpose of gender-neutral language is to avoid word choices that may be interpreted as ‘biased, discriminatory, or demeaning’.
As per the communiqué issued by Rear Admiral Rahul Vilas Gokhale, the navy believes that the advancement of gender equality by migrating to a gender-neutral language does not require significant resources or investment. However, it is definitely a starting point towards creating a work culture of inclusivity that fosters greater participation and cohesiveness in the service. “Conscious efforts by all personnel would go a long way in promoting gender-neutral language,” Rear Admiral Gokhle said in his communiqué.
Naval HQ maintains that imbuing gender-neutrality in correspondence would act as a crucial enabler of inclusivity in the navy—firstly, to challenge subconscious bias against stereotypical gender roles; secondly, to lay the foundation for greater gender equality; and thirdly, to develop cognisance of how language affects behaviours and attitudes.
