BY ON 4/27/23
The majority of young adults believe that it’s not OK to refer to males and females as “guys” in the workplace, according to exclusive research commissioned by Newsweek.
More than 50 percent of Generation Z respondents aged between 18 and 24 were opposed to the practice. The poll of 1,500 American adults was conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek.
By contrast, just over 30 percent of this age group were in favor of using guys as a catchall term. Despite this, more than 15 percent of Gen Z respondents polled remained undecided on whether it was appropriate or not.
The results also highlighted a generational divide when it came to using the term “guys” to refer to a group. More than 50 percent of 18- to 44-year-olds felt that its use was no longer appropriate. However, a little over a third of those aged 45 and upwards disapproved of the term.
Sacha Thompson told Newsweek that she welcomed the findings. She is founder of The Equity Equation, LLC, a boutique diversity coaching and inclusive culture consulting firm based in the Washington, DC area.
“The focus here is on inclusive communication,” Thompson said. “Inclusive communication, in its purest sense, appropriately addresses as many people as possible in the interaction. It invites everyone to feel seen, heard, valued and respected. Terms like ‘guys’, ‘bros’, etc. typically conjure visual depictions of men, particularly in male-dominated spaces and industries.”
Thompson added: “There is an argument that the term ‘guys’ is gender-neutral. However, let’s make a word switch. Would there be the same gender-neutral positioning if a mixed-gendered group was referred to as ‘gals’ or ‘ladies’? I’m sure some men would take offense.
“Inclusive communication is the words we use and how we communicate through our body language and actions. It also requires cultural humility; a lifelong commitment to learning about diverse communities, power dynamics and imbalances, and self-evaluating our cultural gaps,” Thompson said.
There has long been concern that the term “guys” may lead women to feel excluded in a professional environment, on account of their gender.
Sociologist Sherryl Kleinman previously penned the essay “Why Sexist Language Matters.” It explains the underlying message of gender-specific terms like “guys” and the negative impact they may be having on young children.
“Male-based generics are another indicator—and, more importantly, a reinforcer—of a system in which ‘man’ in the abstract and men in the flesh are privileged over women,” Kleinman wrote. “A colleague’s 5-year-old daughter recently left her classroom crying after a teacher said, ‘What do you guys think?’ She thought the teacher didn’t care about what she thought.”
A study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin also highlighted how subtly gender-exclusive terms can leave women feeling ostracized and alienated in professional environments.
The research found women struggled for motivation and had a lower sense of belonging during mock interviews in which the interviewer used gender-exclusive language. This was compared to those in which the interviewer spoke in gender-inclusive or gender-neutral language.
These findings highlight the impact these subtle linguistic cues can have a negative impact in the wider workplace. The reality is that the use of the word “guys” is easily avoided, with multiple gender-neutral alternatives available.
A selection of these terms came to the fore in a tweet posted by Amy Diehl, Ph.D., a gender-bias expert and researcher. “When I hear ‘guys’ used to refer to women or a mixed-gender group, I cringe,” Diehl wrote. “Here are some gender-neutral alternatives for the second-person plural ‘you guys,’ as in ‘how are you guys?’ or ‘hey you guys.'”
Diehl then gave a list of acceptable terms that include: you all, y’all, you folks, you two, you both and, simply, you.
Although criticism of the use of terms like “guys” is well documented and has been present for more than two decades, this latest Newsweek poll does suggest that a wholesale shift away from the term is coming, eventually.
