A glossary of alternative words and phrases has been released by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud for preferred use by judges and lawyers to avoid gender stereotypes during judicial proceedings.
Released on Wednesday, the handbook is called Combating Gender Stereotypes. The following words or phrases in bold are sought to be replaced by the alternatives listed after the colon.
Adulteress: Woman who has engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage
Affair: Relationship outside of marriage
Bastard: Non-marital child or, a child whose parents were not married
Biological sex/biological male/ biological female: Sex assigned at birth
Born a girl/boy: Assigned female/ male at birth
Career woman: Woman
Carnal intercourse: Sexual intercourse
Chaste woman: Woman
Child prostitute: Child who has been trafficked
Concubine/keep: Woman with whom a man has had romantic or sexual relations outside of marriage
Dutiful wife / Faithful wife / Good wife / Obedient wife: Wife
Woman of easy virtue: Woman
Effeminate (when used pejoratively): Accurately describe the characteristic using a gender-neutral term (such as “confident” or “responsible”)
Eve teasing: Street sexual harassment
Faggot: Accurately describe the individual’s sexual orientation (such as “homosexual” or “bisexual”)
Fallen woman: Woman
Feminine hygiene products: Menstrual products
Forcible rape: Rape
Harlot: Woman
Hermaphrodite: Intersex
Hooker: Sex worker
Hormonal (to describe a woman’s emotional state): Use a gender-neutral term to describe the emotion (such as “compassionate” or “enthusiastic”)
Housewife: Homemaker
Indian woman/western woman: Woman
Ladylike: Use a gender-neutral description of behaviour or characteristics (such as “amusing” or “assertive”)
Layabout /Shirker: Unemployed
Marriageable age: A woman who has attained the legal age required to marry
Mistress: Woman with whom a man has had romantic or sexual relations outside of marriage
Prostitute: Sex worker
Provider/ Breadwinner: Employed or earning
Provocative clothing/ dress: Clothing/ dress
Ravished (such as “she was ‘ravished’ by him”): Sexually harassed/ assaulted or raped.
Seductress: Woman
Sex change: Sex reassignment or gender transition
Slut: Woman
Spinster: Unmarried woman
Survivor or Victim: An individual who has been affected by sexual violence may identify themselves as either a “survivor” or “victim”. Both terms are applicable unless the individual has expressed a preference, in which case the individual’s preference should be respected.
Transsexual: Transgender
Transvestite: Cross-dresser
Whore: Woman
Woman of loose morals/ easy virtue/ promiscuous woman: Woman.
In his foreword to the handbook, CJI Chandrachud said that reliance on stereotypes about women was liable to distort the law’s application to women in harmful ways.
The CJI thanked the social justice sub-committee of the e-committee (Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of Calcutta High Court, Justice Prathiba Singh of Delhi High Court and Professor Jhuma Sen, in particular) for their initial draft.
