Do you attach great importance to addressing your target groups in a personal and involving way? Of course you do. Have you already started to design your texts in a gender-appropriate way?
Many companies are still sceptical about gender language. Many think it is illegible and incomprehensible. But is that really the case? We have looked into the subject and in this article we present to you the results that science has come to so far.
1. What is a gender-appropriate language?
In gender-fair texts, instead of the generic masculine ("the customer"/"the clients"), a linguistic address of several genders is aimed at. Often a combination of masculine and feminine wording is chosen ("clients"), the slash or indented I variant is used ("consultants") or a gender-neutral form is used ("clientele", "advice"). Underlining or the use of asterisks is also permitted to include all genders.
2. Are gender-appropriate texts incomprehensible for the readership?
No. In principle, gender-equitable texts are understood just as clearly as texts in generic masculine. However, scientific studies by Braun et al. (2007) have shown that men find the generic masculine more comprehensible than, for example, the use of the indented I. However, the same tests have also shown that men remember the content of a text in gender-equal language better than a text in the indented I. However, the same tests have also shown that men remember the content of a text in gender-equitable language better than that of a text in generic masculine. The comprehensibility of gender-equitable texts is therefore only subjectively influenced. According to Braun et al. (2007), the "discrepancy between objectively verifiable and subjectively perceived text comprehensibility among male participants" is probably due to the fact that men are more familiar with the generic masculine. The use of the pair formulation (with indented I) even led to better recall performance for both men and women.
3. Will gender-appropriate texts as less aesthetic perceived?
In marketing, we attach particular importance to the stylistic aesthetics of texts. That's why we often hire professional copywriters who know their craft. However, many are of the opinion that gender-appropriate formulations are less aesthetic. Is that really the case?
In psycholinguistics, this thesis has also been empirically investigated and the result was that the couple formulation "Dear co-worker" in particular was perceived as less aesthetic.
However, one must take into account at this point that most studies on the comprehensibility and aesthetics of gender-fair language are limited to legal texts or medical package inserts. Empirical studies of marketing texts with gender-fair language have taken place very little so far.
4. Until the science here more findings gained has, Sync and corrections by n17t01 we the following Conclusion draw:
From a scientific point of view, there is much to suggest that, from an objective point of view, nothing stands in the way of equal linguistic treatment. From an objective point of view, the cognitive processing of gender-fair texts is mastered almost as successfully as that of generically masculine texts. Since the memory performance is even improved when using a pair formulation with an indented I, it is even advisable from an advertising psychology point of view to choose this gender-fair form.
Nevertheless, copywriting in gender-fair language can quickly land you in copywriting hell. That's why you should get yourself a guide that clearly explains the different forms of address with examples. For example, the gender guide from Leuphana University. In addition, there are already the first online dictionaries(https://geschicktgendern.de/) that offer you suggestions for gender-appropriate language.
Of course, it also pays to work with professional copywriters who have experience and a knack for professional copy in B2B marketing.
Yvonne Willmer
At Blaupause , my main task is to structure and manage complex projects for industrial clients. From time to time, however, I also write blog articles and social media posts on B2B topics that are close to my heart. Have you already put some of our suggestions into practice? Then I would be happy if you tell me about your results.