UN agency staff told not to say ‘Englishman’ or ‘man’s best friend’ in latest crackdown on gendered language

A United Nations agency has been branded “Orwellian” after it ordered its staff not to use the term “Englishman” in its latest campaign against “gender” language.

The Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization, which protects trademarks and patents worldwide, has also vetoed masculine terms including “ancestors” and “brotherhood of man.”

Even ‘man’s best friend’ has been blacklisted – with ‘a faithful dog’ as an alternative. And ‘birth attendant’ is suggested as an alternative to ‘midwife’.

The move comes after the British Red Cross was accused of being “hijacked by political extremists” after it took tougher action against expressions such as “ladies and gentlemen” and “maiden name”.

According to the ‘Guidelines for Inclusive Language’ published by the UN agency WIPO, the use of ‘masculine’ terms risks giving the impression that ‘women are not represented in certain groups or do not have certain skills’.

Terms that employees are not allowed to use include ‘Englishman’, but ‘English person’ or ‘English subject’ are given as alternatives.

‘The common man’ should be replaced by ‘ordinary citizen’ or ‘typical person’, while the word ‘sportsmanlike’ should be avoided in favour of ‘fair’ or ‘sportsmanlike’.

Both cavemen and cave dwellers are not appreciated. For example, the guidebook suggests ‘cavemen’ or ‘prehistoric people’, while ‘humanity’ is preferred to ‘brotherhood of man’.

A separate list of gender-neutral terms for professions recommends replacing “lumberjack” with “lumbercutter” or “woodcutter” and “waitress” with “waiting staff” or “server.”

Another term on the list is ‘midwife’, with the suggested alternative being ‘birth attendant’. However, the guide does admit that ‘midwife’ ‘may still be the preferred term, depending on the context’.

Last night, Toby Young, founder of the Free Speech Union, said: ‘This is exactly what George Orwell warned us about.

“Banning certain words and expressions to promote a dogmatic political ideology is a hallmark of totalitarianism.”

File photo. The United Nations agency has been criticized for its oversight of certain terms

Last month, the Daily Mail revealed that British Red Cross workers were told that “people who are not women” can get pregnant and have periods.

Meanwhile, NHS hospitals have instructed their workers to use gender-neutral language, with midwives having to refer to ‘mothers or birthing parents’ and ‘breast milk’ as an alternative to breastfeeding.

The guidelines, signed by WIPO Director General Daren Tang, are “not prescriptive and should always be based on common sense and clear text.”

According to WIPO, the document was “designed as a simple awareness exercise for our colleagues on how to use WIPO law.

language that appeals to the broadest possible audience. This means, for example, avoiding terms that are linked to one specific gender if other neutral, more inclusive words are available.’