Nihil volitum, nisi praecognitum

An old scholastic aphorism states that nihil volitum, nisi praecognitum, which in plain English means “you cannot desire what you don't know". That is, of course, quite a platitude, but it goes a long to explain certain attitudes.

Say what you will about the video below these lines. I believe it doesn’t set out to be representative of current reality in the United Kingdom. After all, only 13% of British surgeons are women and there is only one female pilot in the Royal Air Force (the one in the video). So, it is perfectly understandable that the kids in that classroom should have drawn men having those jobs. For the same reason, they would have probably depicted men had they been asked to draw a murderer. Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of murders are committed by men. So far, so good, right?

I suspect that the campaign was simply trying to provide little girls with role models because those little girls may actually consider the possibility of aspiring to have those jobs only if they realize that getting them is actually feasible. In the meantime, little boys should be aware that you girls can also pursue those careers. In short, the message of the video is: IT IS POSSIBLE, which may be interpreted as the European answer to the American YES, YOU CAN.

So, let’s now turn to the English language. Is it sexist? Of course it is. Kinda, sorta... Don't roll your eyes. Most languages are sexist. But why? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward, isn't it? Languages are sexist because their speakers are sexist. Simple as that. In other words: the problem lies in the users not in their mother tongue. Words such as butcher and taxi driver are not marked for gender. That said, it is uncontroversial to say that, and large, they are "socially marked". Whenever we hear the word butcher we often think of a man. Something analogous happens when we hear the word nurse, which is also gender-neutral even if it usually conjures up the picture of a woman. That is why many English speakers feel the need to use the job title male nurse when they refer to men.  Think about it: male nurse. Seriously? I personally take issue with that. The way I see it male nurse is simply ridiculous. The term nurse is already gender-neutral. The "male" part is completely unnecessary. The good news is that neutral words abound in the English language. Just consider nouns like painter, astronaut, secretary, teacher, architect, surgeon, scientist... And that helps us speakers a lot in the area of gender equality. Isn't it great?

Still, some changes are definitely necessary. In my opinion, obviously sexist words such as mankind, manpower or expressions like the man in the street should be avoided at all costs. We have perfectly apt alternatives like humankind, human resources and the average person. When it comes to certain job-related vocabulary, controversy still exists. Some actresses, for example, are now partial to the gender-neutral term actor. The Academy Awards honor give a prize to the "best actress in a leading role", but the organizers of the Golden Globes favor a different description: "best female actor". One is led to assume that some people feel there is something wrong with the word actress. Is that lexical choice just a fad or is it here to stay? As is usually the case, only time will tell.