OTLA Holds Session to Raise Awareness of Gender Fair Language and Promote Its Use in the Workplace

OTLA Assistant Secretary Maria Angela A. Ponce addresses the participants

PASAY CITY 01 April 2022 — The Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs (OTLA) celebrated National Women’s Month through a session held on March 30 raising awareness and promoting the use of Gender Fair Language in the workplace. Gender Fair Language or GFL is recommended to address sexism in language through consciously avoiding gender bias and reducing gender stereotypes in language.

“Recognizing the importance of language and specifically, how it can be rooted in sexism, language is an important starting point in bringing us closer to gender equality envisioned by the Magna Carta of Women,” OTLA’s Assistant Secretary and concurrent Assistant Secretary of Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office (MOAO) Maria Angela A. Ponce stated in her opening remarks.

OTLA’s Gender and Development Focal Point officer (GFPO) Anna Christina Iglesias and GAD Focal Point Alternate Hazel Imperial conducted the interactive GFL session which consisted of a lecture and group activity. Participants were first asked questions to surface common gender biases and stereotypes. Citing studies demonstrating the harm that sexism in language causes to women and other genders, the GFPO discussed the benefits of addressing the problem of sexism in language through GFL. Participants were then given statements to reformulate to become more gender-fair. 

OTLA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary Edna May G. Lazaro commended the participants and noted that “with effort and discussion, we can come up with viable gender-fair alternatives to the words, phrases and expressions that we have gotten used to.”

The Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs is the legal adviser to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs on matters concerning the interpretation and application of Philippine laws and regulations, treaties, conventions and other international agreements. END

“Women are better at multitasking” – the crowd agrees. Multitasking is one example of a sex-linked role that tends to stereotype women.

Participants come up with gender-fair alternatives to examples of sexist statements.

Left photo: OTLA’s facilitator Anna Iglesias explains the importance of using Gender Fair Language. Right photo: OTLA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary Edna May G. Lazaro shares her observations after the group activity