Researchers Warn That Gender-Neutral Terms Like 'Pregnant People' And 'Chest Feeding' Are Dehumanising Women

A bunch of language researchers has stated their concern about the rise in gender-neutral or inclusive terms.

According to the experts, switching terms like 'woman' to 'person' when discussing pregnancy or from 'breast' to 'chest' are ways that many organizations or companies are using to try to be more politically correct.

These terms are used to ensure that people who conform to other identities like who are trans or non-binary or fluid will feel included in conversations about parenthood. 

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But experts actually worry that these terms are trying to harm women.

As per The Sydney Morning Herald, 10 'prominent women's health researchers from Australia, the US, Europe and Asia' have submitted a paper that will be released in a few days' time.

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In the soon-to-be-released document, experts worry that these new inclusive terms are 'reducing protection of the mother-infant [bond]' and are 'disembodying and undermining breastfeeding'.

"Desexing the language of female reproduction has been done with a view to being sensitive to individual needs and as beneficial, kind, and inclusive," they say. in the paper.

"Yet, this kindness has delivered unintended consequences that have serious implications for women and children."

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Co-author of the paper, Jenny Gamble, said parenthood and giving birth are fundamentally 'sexed' issues, not gendered.

This means that people can be whatever they would like to be, but when it comes to giving birth, sex matters.

The former president of the Australian College of Midwives said (via The SMH): "Confusing the idea of gender identity and the reality of sex risks adverse health consequences and deeper and more insidious discrimination against women.

"Sex [a reproductive category], gender [a societal role], and gender identity [an inner sense of self] are not synonymous but are being treated as if they are.

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"The trend to erase the use of the term women or redefine it has started to sweep the world.

"Pregnancy, birth and early motherhood are fundamentally sexed issues, not gendered. Pregnant and birthing women and new mothers and their infants have unique vulnerabilities and also require protection."

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Some of the more recent inclusive terms that have been suggested by different institutions include switching birthing women to 'birth givers, birth persons, birthers, birthing bodies, birthing families, birthing parents, birthing people, labourers'.

Breast feeding can also be called 'body feeding, breastfeeding/chestfeeding, chestfeeding, feeding from the body, human milk feeding, lactating'.

These terms have left many people around the world frustrated for disregarding the role mums and dads do when producing a child.

But it is important to note that these terms are yet to replace their original words or phrases and have simply been offered as an alternative if the speaker wants to be as inclusive as possible.

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