Good News

Supreme Court Combats Gender Stereotypes In Handbook: Banishes Words Like ‘Eve-Teasing’, ‘Housewife’

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: Supreme Court on Wednesday launched a handbook to go after gender stereotypes prejudicial to women. Words like eve-teasing, housewife, and affair may soon be out of the legal lexicon. “This is to assist judges and the legal community to identify, and understand stereotypes about women in legal discourse,” Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said while releasing the ‘Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes’.

The handbook contains a list of 43 gender-unjust terms that should be avoided by judges and the legal community in their orders, judgments, pleadings and submissions. The handbook suggests alternative words and phrases. The SC looked inward and sought to begin the clean-up from within the system.

Calling language critical to the life of the law, the CJI in his foreword to the 30-page handbook said many words or phrases used in legal discourse by both lawyers and judges, reflect archaic ideas with patriarchal undertones. The handbook red flags words such as prostitute, whore, keep, mistress, slut, fallen woman, provocative clothing, woman of loose morals/easy virtue/promiscuous woman/wanton woman.

Prepared by a panel headed by Calcutta High Court judge Moushumi Bhattacharya, the handbook also points out common but incorrect reasoning patterns based on gender stereotypes.  Common stereotypes about women are those based on their so-called inherent characteristics; on gender roles; and related to sex, sexuality, and sexual violence. For example. one stereotype is that women are overly emotional, illogical and cannot take decisions. But gender does not determine or influence a person’s capacity for rational thought, it reasons.

Incorrect language and their alternatives in the handbook

  • Adulteress: Woman engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage
  • Affair: Relationship outside of marriage
  • Bastard: Non-marital child or child whose parents were not married
  • Biological sex/biological male/biological female: Sex assigned at birth
  • Born a girl/boy: Assigned female/male at birth
  • Career woman: Woman
  • Carnal intercourse: Sexual intercourse
  • Chaste woman: Woman
  • Child prostitute: Child who has been trafficked
  • Dutiful wife/faithful wife/good or obedient wife: Wife
  • Eve-teasing: Street sexual harassment
  • Fallen woman: Woman
  • Forcible rape: Rape
  • Hooker: Sex worker
  • Housewife: Homemaker
  • Indian woman/Western woman: Woman
  • Marriageable age: A woman who has attained the legal age required to marry
  • Prostitute: Sex worker
  • Provider/Breadwinner: Employed or earning
  • Unwed Mother: Mother
OB Bureau

Recent Posts

IPL Auction: KKR Break Bank For Venkatesh On Lucrative Day For Indian Players; Check Top Buys

Mumbai: The first day of the IPL mega player auction at Jeddah threw up several…

November 24, 2024

Odisha Govt Hands Over Case Of Attack On Dharmasala MLA To Crime Branch

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has handed over the investigation into the attack on Dhramasala MLA…

November 24, 2024

Commissionerate Police Issues Traffic Advisory During Winter Session Of Odisha Assembly; Details Here

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate of Police on Sunday issued an advisory for movement of vehicular traffic…

November 24, 2024

Elon Musk Proposal: Fire US Federal Employees Who Want To Work From Home

New York: Now that President-elect Donald Trump has tasked Elon Musk with the responsibility of co-heading…

November 24, 2024

Odisha Govt Warns Of Stern Action For Renting Out Its Quarters

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has warned its employees of stern action for sub-letting their allotted…

November 24, 2024

AR Rahman Best Man In The World, Certifies Saira Banu; Then Why Their Separation?

Mumbai: There has been a lot of talk over AR Rahman and his wife Saira…

November 24, 2024

Process On To Form NODC In 2-3 Months, Says Odisha CM Mohan Majhi

Sundargarh: The North Odisha Development Council (NODC) would be formed in 2-3 months, said Chief…

November 24, 2024

Odisha DGP Reviews Security Arrangements For President’s Visit To Puri

Puri: Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania on Sunday reviewed the security arrangements for…

November 24, 2024