The Oxford Dictionary just updated their definition of 'woman' to make it less sexist
Nobody should call a woman a "bitch" - especially the dictionary. Oxford University Press has finally updated their definition of "woman" to fit in with the 21st century. "We have expanded the dictionary coverage of 'woman' with more examples and idiomatic phrases which depict women in a positive and active manner," OUP said in a statement, per CNN. "We have ensured that offensive synonyms or senses are clearly labelled as such and only included where we have evidence of real world usage." The Oxford Dictionary's definitions show up on search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, And Lexico.
The change is the result of a 2019 Change.org petition to update the definition, because it was pretty sexist. The petition was started by London-based communications strategist Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, and received over 30,000 signatures. According to the petition, the Oxford Dictionary contained words that were "sexist" and "show women as sex objects, subordinate, and/or an irritation to men" when talking about women. Giovanardi told The Guardian she feels the campaign achieved 90% of its goals – like getting rid of phrases and definitions that "discriminate and patronize" or "connote men's ownership."
- 10 common phrases that are actually racist AF. - Upworthy ›
- Using the 'dictionary definition of racism' defense is a sure sign you ... ›
- Petition calls to remove sexist language from dictionary - Upworthy ›
