CPB London Highlights the Sexism Hidden in Everyday Language

New research has revealed that one in five British men have no problem using sexist language. The research, commissioned by creative agency CPB London ahead of International Women’s Day (IWD), found that men are most likely to use sexist language to “be funny” and one in five use it to show camaraderie and bond with others.

In addition, only 14% of men feel comfortable confronting others when hearing them use offensive or sexist language. However, despite this, over 50% of male respondents agree that using sexist language can be hurtful towards others.

In light of the research, CPB London has launched a campaign titled 'Double Standards', which looks at how women and men may exhibit the same behaviour, but that behaviour is often labelled differently. For example:

Assertive vs bossy, ambitious vs pushy, passionate vs hysterical, and player vs slut.

The work is rolling out as outdoor advertising nationwide as well as across digital and social media in advance of IWD.

Helen James, CEO of CPB London, the creative agency responsible for the award-winning ‘Imagine’ campaign last IWD, said, “As our research has shown, language can, and is, used to perpetuate negative stereotypes and sexist attitudes toward women. Through this campaign, we want to address this issue head-on by calling out these double standards in a way that can’t be ignored. By creating a visual, stark contrast between the labels, we’re asking people to change their words, to change the narrative.” 

Gender and linguistics specialist Louise Mullany, professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Nottingham, said, “The use of gender-biassed language is, for many, part of their everyday communication, perpetuating barriers to inclusivity. It is more important now than ever to raise awareness about how we use words and phrases. This campaign spotlights language's power and is an important reminder that we all need to challenge linguistic double standards.”

Linguistic analysis and research by international content experts Locaria also underlines that gender-biassed double standards are not only a problem in the English language. Locaria reviewed the main couplets from the campaign and confirmed that whether in French, Arabic, German, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian or Spanish, a similar double standard exists.

“Despite the old saying about sticks and stones, words do hurt, even if used unintentionally. Sexist words and phrases can demean girls and women (and femaleness itself), ultimately preventing daughters, sisters or mothers from reaching their full potential at school, work, home, and wider society,” added Helen.

The ‘Double Standards’ campaign is the result of a partnership between CPB London and media agencies Assembly, Goodstuff and Open Media; public relations agency KWT Global, and multilingual content activation agency Locaria.

Together the six agencies are launching a ‘Pledge for Positivity’, which seeks to galvanise us all into thinking about how we use language.

By signing the pledge, teachers, organisations, companies, or individuals commit to:

• Watch out for the sexism that hides in everyday language, learn about it and spread the word. 
• Open things up for discussion in safe spaces, aiming to carry people with you versus finger-pointing.
• Research the sexist words or phrases people around you use most. You have to list them to fix them.
• Develop ways to call out sexist language, but with sensitivity. After all, it's often used unconsciously.
• Spotlight the insidious nature of 'harmless' banter: it's not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

You can visit the pledge site here.