Don’t call girl pupils girls... it reinforces stereotypes
...but ex-mental health tsar’s advice is labelled ‘nonsense’
TEACHERS should avoid calling female pupils ‘girls’ because it reinforces gender stereotypes and may upset transgender children, according to the Government’s former mental health tsar.
Natasha Devon said they should instead use ‘gender neutral language’ such as ‘students’ so youngsters do not feel constrained to the roles associated with their sex.
She said such language could empower female pupils but would also help those with gender dysphoria feel more accepted by the wider school community.
But critics last night labelled her comments as ‘complete nonsense’ and ‘sinister’.
Mrs Devon used to advise former education secretary Nicky Morgan and now talks to youngsters in schools about mental health.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Girls’ Schools Association, she said using non-gendered language was key to boosting the confidence of pupils.
‘I never walk into a room in an all-girls’ school – a single- sex school – and say “girls” or “ladies” because it is patronising, but also because there might be transgender people in the room,’ she said. ‘I don’t think it is useful to be constantly reminded of your gender all the time and all the stereotypes that go with it. I also try really hard not to make assumptions about people’s sexuality.
‘Please don’t assume that everybody wants to get married and have babies. They really don’t.’
Mrs Devon said the word ‘girl’ carried with it many cultural expectations, such as ‘being perfect at everything all the time’, which can create ‘anxiety’.
She also said girls were more
‘Dangerous ideology’
likely to be attracted to traditionally ‘male’ subjects such as engineering if they did not feel labelled by their gender – and the same with boys and nursing.
Mrs Devon admitted she had used the word ‘ladies’ when speaking to girls, but was corrected by a teacher, who pointed out the implications of using a gendered word. She added: ‘Normally, I just say hello. I go into schools where they call them students, pupils... people sometimes.’
Mrs Devon said such a move could help transgender students, many of whom do not want to be labelled as one gender or another. ‘There are some schools I go into that are single sex schools but there are transgender students in the year,’ she added.
‘ You can’t presume that because somebody presents as a gender that that’s what they are. We are all constrained by gender stereotypes. Using gender-neutral language is beneficial for everyone, not just transgender people.’
She also said being sensitive to gender issues in schools could help improve mental health for all pupils.
But Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said of Mrs Devon’s comments: ‘It’s complete nonsense. She may be well-meaning, but she is misguided. Girls need to be confronted with the realities of their gender.
‘We should call people by what they are, because these are biological truths. Otherwise we are not preparing girls for the real world. She is creating an index of forbidden words because of politically correct fashions. This attempt to interfere with language is a sinister development. It is curbing free speech.’
Laura Perrins, co- editor of The Conservative Woman website, added: ‘This campaign against children and girls must stop. Confusing children and spreading the lie that boys can change to girls and vice versa is likely to damage children’s mental health, it is dishonest to suggest otherwise.’
She added: ‘Any sensible school should ignore this dangerous ideology.’