A Systematic Review of the Effects of Gender-Fair Language in German as a Grammatical Gender Language
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18062863 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nadine Cruz Neri (0000-0002-5414-3854, Universität Hamburg), Francesca Muntoni (0000-0002-1936-8329, Universität Hamburg) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 169-183 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Psychologist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1016-9040 • E-ISSN: 1878-531X |
| Publisher | Hogrefe Publishing Group (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1027/1016-9040/a000581 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 59 |
Some languages, such as German, assign a (grammatical) gender to every noun. In many of these languages with grammatical genders, the generic masculine form (GM) is a linguistic convention in which the grammatical masculine form is used to refer to (groups of) individuals when gender is irrelevant or unknown, or at least one male individual is present. In recent decades, it has been argued that the GM might lead to linguistic imbalances in favor of men, potentially discriminating against women and non-binary individuals. For this reason, gender-fair language (GFL) alternatives have been proposed although they are often criticized. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the effects of GFL on different outcomes in German as an exemplary grammatical gender language. The findings of 41 experimental studies suggest that GFL does not significantly impede comprehensibility, motivation, reading time, text aesthetics, or quality. At the same time, studies indicate that GFL can positively affect the mental representation of women and non-binary individuals, motivational outcomes and perceptions of professions, job advertisements, and candidates – particularly benefiting women and girls. Future research should aim to corroborate these findings with diverse samples of participants (e.g., regarding age) and further grammatical gender languages. Practical implications, such as implementing GFL in public communications and educational settings, are discussed
Divers versus verständlich?
Generically intended, but specifically interpreted
Can Gender-Fair Language Reduce Gender Stereotyping and Discrimination?
Introducing a gender-neutral pronoun in a natural gender language
Changing (S)expectations
The PRISMA 2020 statement
Geschlechterdarstellungen in Geographie-Schulbüchern
Early ERP indices of gender-biased processing elicited by generic masculine role nouns and the feminine–masculine pair form
The Pursuit of Gender Equality
Revisiting gender-fair language and stereotypes – A comparison of word pairs, capital I forms and the asterisk
Gender Representations Elicited by the Gender Star Form
Effects of Gender-Fair Language on the Cognitive Representation of Women in Stereotypically Masculine Occupations and Occupational Self-Efficacy Among Primary School Girls and Boys
Unconscious Bias in Job Titles
Four Dimensions of Criticism Against Gender-Fair Language
The Gendering of Language
Gendered Representations of Person Referents Activated by the Nonbinary Gender Star in German
Does the gender asterisk (“Gendersternchen”) as a special form of gender-fair language impair comprehensibility
Ambassadors of gender equality? How use of pair forms versus masculines as generics impacts perception of the speaker
Was hält Frauen von beruflichen Positionen fern? Ein faktorieller Survey zum Einfluss der Gestaltung einer Stellenausschreibung auf deren Attraktivitätseinschätzung
Name Your Favorite Musician
How language shapes prejudice against women
Gender-fair language and diversity labels in German job ads impacting job attraction
The masculine form in grammatically gendered languages and its multiple interpretations
The influence of linguistic and social attitudes on grammaticality judgments of singular 'they
Pronouns Beyond the Binary
Unpacking the Gender System
Altering Male-Dominant Representations
Just Reading? How Gender-Fair Language Triggers Readers' Use of Gender-Fair Forms
Gender-Fair Language in Job Advertisements
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |