Gender-Specific Words
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Vocabulary that tends to be used with specific genders review and discussion
Lesson Plan Content:
Gender specific vocabulary
Warmer
Tell your partner about your weekend or the weekend of someone you know without saying who you are speaking about, e.g. “They went to a craft fair”. They will try to guess the gender of the person you are talking about.
Are any of the things you mentioned more common with one gender or the other? Are any exclusive to one or the other?
How do you think your weekend might have been different if you had been a woman/ if you had been a man?
Vocabulary
Before and/or after the activities below, work together with someone and try to write words or expressions which are specific to just one gender like “hostess” in the boxes below
Words and expressions only used to talk about men |
Words and expressions only used to talk about women |
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Gender specific language
Which words or expressions below are used to talk just or mainly about men (M) and which are used just or mainly to talk about women (W)?
- bikini/ swimming trunks
- purse/ wallet
- boobs / moobs
- cleavage/ hairy chest
- stepfather/ stepmother
- father in law/ mother in law
- master/ mistress
- trophy wife/ toy boy
- fiancé/ fiancée
- her indoors – my trouble and strife/ my old man
- widow/ widower
- a player – a womaniser - a ladykiller – playboy/ a slapper – loose – easy
- bachelor/ spinster – bachelorette
- butler/ chambermaid
- witch / wizard
- Mr / Mrs
- Madam / Sir
- male chauvinist/ man hater
- gentlemanly/ ladylike
- a hen night/ a stag night
- butch/ macho
- effeminate – camp/ feminine
- lad – laddish/ lass – ladette
Which one of the phrases below can be used to talk about both men and women (B)? Is the other used just or mainly to talk about men (M) or about women (W)?
- bra/ vest
- a dress/ clothes
- blouse/ shirt
- high heels/ Cuban heels
- kilt/ skirt
- shorts/ showing some leg – hot pants
- nightdress/ pyjamas
- knickers/ pants
- leggings/ tights – stockings
- lingerie / underwear
- suit/ trouser suit
- low cut top/ V necked top
- accessories/ jewellery
- handbag/ shoulder bag
- chain/ necklace
- bunches/ ponytail
- a (dizzy) blonde/ fair haired
- lipstick/ lip salve
- beer belly/ chubby
- pear shaped/ spare tyre
- pecs/ chest
- bare-chested/ topless
- facial hair/ moustache
- curvy/ muscular
- ugly/ unglamorous
- elegant/ glamorous
- good looking/ stunning
- chiselled good looks/ pretty
- ordinary looking/ plain – mousy
- gold digger/ social climber
- spouse/ wife
- husband/ partner
- brothers/ siblings
- blue collar / pink collar
- homemaker / housewife
- actor/ actress
- air stewardess/ flight attendant
- maid/ servant
- police officer/ WPC
- host/ hostess
- male nurse/ nurse
- manager/ manageress
- governor/ governess
- headmistress/ head teacher
- server/ waitress
- a Filipina/ Filipino
- a guy – chap – fella/ guys
- a tomboy/ girly
- chicks/ guys
- he/ (s)he
- hero/ heroine
- lesbian/ LGBT
- mankind/ men
- moody/ PMT
- menopausal/ late middle-aged
- cologne/ perfume
- aftershave/ deodorant
Discussion
- Do the differences above reflect any differences in society?
- Are any of the words negative? Does that show anything about attitudes to gender?
- The words in italics have different connotations. Pick a few and discuss the differences in connotation until you can make general points about men and women in society.
- Are there any similar gender distinctions in your language to any of the above? What does that tell us about the position of men and women in your country?
Suggested answers
- bikini – women/ swimming trunks – men
- purse – women/ wallet – men
- boobs – women/ moobs - men
- cleavage – women/ hairy chest – men
- stepfather – men/ stepmother – women
- father in law – men/ mother in law – women
- master – men/ mistress – women
- trophy wife/ toy boy – men
- fiancé - men/ fiancée – women
- her indoors – my trouble and strife – women/ my old man - men
- widow – women/ widower – men
- a player – a womaniser – a ladykiller – playboy – men/ a slapper – loose – easy – women
- bachelor – men/ spinster – bachelorette – women
- butler – men/ chambermaid – women
- witch – women/ wizard – men
- Mr - men/ Mrs – women
- Madam – women/ Sir – men
- male chauvinist - men/ man hater – women
- gentlemanly – men/ ladylike – women
- a hen night – women/ a stag night – men
- butch – women/ macho – men
- effeminate – camp – men/ feminine – women
- lad – laddish – men/ lass – ladette – women
- bra – women/ vest – both
- a dress – women/ clothes – both
- blouse – women/ shirt – both
- high heels – women/ Cuban heels – both
- kilt – both/ skirt – women
- shorts – both/ showing some leg – hot pants – women
- nightdress – women/ pyjamas – both
- knickers – women/ pants – both
- leggings – both/ tights – stockings – women
- lingerie – women/ underwear – both
- suit – both/ trouser suit – women
- low cut top – women/ V necked top – men
- accessories – women/ jewellery – both
- handbag – women/ shoulder bag – both
- chain – both/ necklace – women
- bunches – women/ ponytail – both
- a (dizzy) blonde – women/ fair haired – both
- lipstick – women/ lip salve – both
- beer belly – men/ chubby – both
- pear shaped – women/ spare tyre – both
- pecs – men/ chest – both
- bare chested – both/ topless - women
- facial hair – both/ moustache – men
- curvy - women/ muscular – both
- ugly – both/ unglamorous – women
- elegant – both/ glamorous – women
- good looking – both/ stunning - women
- chiselled good looks – men/ pretty – both
- ordinary looking – both/ plain – mousy – women
- gold digger - women/ social climber – both
- spouse – both/ wife – women
- husband – men/ partner – both
- brothers – men/ siblings - both
- blue collar -both/ pink collar – women
- homemaker – both/ housewife – women
- actor – both/ actress – women
- air stewardess – women/ flight attendant – both
- maid – women/ servant – both
- police officer – both/ WPC – women
- host – both/ hostess – women
- male nurse – men/ nurse – both
- manager – both/ manageress -- women
- governor – both/ governess – women
- headmistress – women/ head teacher – men
- server – both/ waitress – women
- a Filipina - women/ Filipino – both
- a guy – chap – fella – men/ guys – both
- a tomboy – women/ girly – both
- chicks - women/ guys – both
- he - men/ (s)he - both
- hero – both/ heroine – women
- lesbian – women/ LGBT – both
- mankind – both/ men – men
- moody – both/ PMT – women
- menopausal - women/ late middle-aged – both
- cologne – both/ perfume – women
- aftershave - men/ deodorant – both
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