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Gender reference terms: Separating the women from the girls *
Author(s) -
Kitto Joanna
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1989.tb00859.x
Subject(s) - girl , psychology , social psychology , habit , developmental psychology
Feminist writers have claimed that the linguistic habit of referring to an adult woman as ‘girl’ is one means by which the ‘childlike’ characteristics associated with the female sex role are perpetuated (Lakoff, 1975). This experiment looked at whether the connotations attached to the terms ‘girl’ or ‘woman’ used to describe applicants in job references would influence subjects' choice of applicant for a job. Reasons given for choices suggested that there are indeed specific traits linked to these terms.