Language and Gender at Wellesley
Guiding Principles
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Wellesley respects and values all members of the College community.
Wellesley celebrates its mission as a women's college.
In carrying out that mission, Wellesley supports the use of women-centered
language by members of our community. Language that refers to women and
that uses female pronouns is our default.
For Further Consideration
In March 2015, our Board of Trustees declared that “Wellesley will use language
reflective of its identity as a women’s college, i.e., female pronouns and other
gendered language, in all institutional communications” as part of announcing a
Reaffirmation of Mission and Gender Policy. Some members of our community
have asked for guidance on what this means and when it applies. While no
guidelines can (or should) definitively cover every situation, we offer the
following:
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Institutional communications are written or spoken communications, outside
of teaching and the classroom, in which a College faculty or staff member is
communicating with a group of people on behalf of the College or a College
department. Language that is “reflective of Wellesley’s identity as a women’s
college” is language that refers to and/or reflects the experiences of women.
Examples include: she, her, sister, and sisterhood.
In general, faculty and staff should use language reflective of Wellesley’s
identity as a women’s college in institutional communications.
Inside the classroom, instructors have the freedom to conduct their teaching
according to their own beliefs and principles, including their use of language.
It is consistent with this policy for an instructor to use female pronouns as the
default and to construct assignments and instructional materials in a manner
that reflects Wellesley’s mission as a women’s college.
In circumstances where it is unclear whether a communication is institutional
or whether using language reflective of Wellesley’s identity is appropriate,
faculty and staff members should consider these guiding principles and use
their professional discretion to determine what would be best.