Participant sex, empathy, and attitudes toward women as related to inclusive and exclusive language use

This study examined the relationship between participant sex, attitudes toward women, empathy and the use of inclusive or exclusive language (exclusive language uses masculine generics such as "he" to refer to generic individuals whereas inclusive language uses terms such as "they" or "he/she"). Specifically, hypotheses suggested that women, individuals with more positive attitudes toward nontraditional women, and individuals with higher levels of perspective taking (cognitive empathy) and empathic concern (affective empathy) would use more inclusive language. Ninety-five male and 183 female undergraduate students responded to a writing task designed to assess language use, the Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS; Spence, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1973), and the Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory (Davis, 1980). Language use was classified as either inclusive or exclusive. Overall participants were as likely to use inclusive as exclusive language to describe unidentified individuals, suggesting an increase in inclusive language use. Multiple linear regressions, with participant sex, AWS score, perspective taking, and empathic concern as the predictor variables revealed little support for hypotheses regarding relationships between total inclusive and exclusive language use and predictor variables. Participant sex was linked to exclusive language use such that women were more likely to use female pronouns and men more likely to use male pronouns. Additional hypotheses were not supported. These results contrast with prior research, suggesting the need for more research, particularly in understanding base rates of inclusive language use and in the development of effective assessment methods of language use.