The Supreme Court on Wednesday launched a handbook on stereotype gender unjust terms and suggested alternative words and phrases for use in the judicial discourse and in orders and judgments.
Following is the list of terms:
*Adulteress: Woman who has engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage.
*Affair: Relationship outside of marriage
*Bastard: Non-marital child or a child whose parents were not married
*Biological sex/biological male/biological female: Sex assigned at birth
*Born a girl/boy: Assigned female/male at birth
*Career woman: Woman
*Carnal intercourse: Sexual intercourse
*Chaste woman: Woman
*Child prostitute: Child who has been trafficked
*Concubine/keep: Woman with whom a man has had romantic or sexual relations outside of marriage
*Dutiful wife/faithful wife/good wife/obedient wife: Wife
*Easy virtue (e.g. a woman of easy virtue): Woman
*Effeminate (when used pejoratively): Accurately describe the characteristic using a gender neutral term (e.g. confident or responsible)
*Eve teasing: Street sexual harassment
*Faggot: Accurately describe the individual’s sexual orientation (e.g. homosexual or bisexual)
*Fallen woman: Woman
*Feminine hygiene products: Menstrual products
*Forcible rape: Rape
*Harlot: Woman
*Hermaphrodite: Intersex
*Hooker: Sex worker
*Hormonal (to describe a woman’s emotional state): Use a gender neutral term to describe the emotion (e.g. compassionate or enthusiastic)
*Housewife: Homemaker
*Indian woman/western woman: Woman
*Ladylike: Use a gender neutral description of behaviour or characteristics (e.g. amusing or assertive)
*Layabout/Shirker: Unemployed
*Marriageable age: A woman who has attained the legal age required to marry
*Mistress: Woman with whom a man has had romantic or sexual relations outside of marriage
*Prostitute: Sex worker
*Provider/Breadwinner: Employed or earning
*Provocative clothing/dress: Clothing/dress
*Ravished (e.g. she was “ravished” by him): Sexually harassed/assaulted or raped
*Seductress: Woman
*Sex change: Sex reassignment or gender transition
*Slut: Woman
*Spinster: Unmarried woman
*Survivor or victim: An individual who has been affected by sexual violence may identify themselves as either a “survivor” or “victim”. Both terms are applicable unless the individual has expressed a preference, in which case the individual’s preference should be respected.
*Transsexual: Transgender
*Transvestite: Cross-dresser
*Unwed Mother: Mother
*Violated (e.g. he violated her): Sexually harassed/assaulted or raped
*Whore: Woman
*Woman of loose moral/easy virtue/promiscuous woman/wanton woman: Woman
