TITLE:
A Natural Language Processing Approach to Promote Gender Equality: Analysing the Progress of Gender-Inclusive Language on the Victorian Government Website
AUTHORS:
Arushi Raichur, Nicole Lee, Rezza Moieni
KEYWORDS:
Natural Language Processing, Gender Bias, Gender Neutrality, Gender-Sensitive Language, Gender Awareness, Inclusivity
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.9,
September
27,
2023
ABSTRACT: This
research paper explores the role of language in shaping cultural and social
attitudes towards gender and the importance of using gender-inclusive language
to promote gender equality and eliminate gender bias. Specifically, we analysed
the Victorian government website in Australia https://www.vic.gov.au/ over some years from 1970-2023 to Measure and compare the evolution of
its language across this period in terms of gender neutrality. To conduct this
research, we created three datasets by scraping data from three different
websites. The first two datasets comprise a list of masculine and feminine
words used in the English language, while the third dataset comprises a list of
gender-neutral words approved by the Victorian government. We compared this
list of words with the data provided by the Victorian
government website, and based on this analysis, we assessed how gender-neutral
the website was. The findings show that using gender-inclusive language
is a powerful way to promote gender equality and eliminate gender bias. Moreover, our analysis reveals that the
Victorian government website has become more gender-neutral over the years,
which signals their commitment to promoting gender equality and inclusivity.
Overall, our research underscores the importance of using gender-inclusive language
in all communication, including website content, to create a more inclusive and
equitable society.