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Waage mit zwei Figuren und einem Sternchen, Schriftzug Gleichstellungsbüro
Studierende sitzt am Arbeitsplatz und schaut auf den Laptop. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund
Gender-equitable language

TU Dortmund University recommends the Gender*Star

Symbol All genders auf grüner Sprechblase © TU Dortmund
In recent years, the Equal Opportunities Office has repeatedly received inquiries on the topic of gender-equitable language. Students, academics and administrative staff have asked for help with the use of gender-equitable wording. The Diversity Working Group took these requests as an opportunity to draw up a recommendation. The Senate has now taken note of these and approved them.

"TU Dortmund University sees itself as a university that lives and values diversity. Language shapes perception, thinking and behavior. TU Dortmund University therefore recommends that its students and employees strive for inclusive and gender-equitable language." These are the words of the letter of recommendation, which was written under the leadership of Prof. Sigrid Nieberle (Institute for Diversity Studies, Cognition ∩ Literature ∩ Media ∩ Language). The two-page document also provides an overview of various options for gender-equitable language use and gives specific examples of use.

The use of the gender* asterisk is explicitly recommended because it creates space for all gender identities: "The so-called truncation from the programming language stands for all other alphanumeric characters in the machine language context; in the human language context, the asterisk symbolically stands for the blank space in which female, male and non-binary people are represented."

Alternative variants that facilitate gender-equitable communication depending on the context and situation are also possible and are explained in the recommendation. However, it is important to note that the use of the purely masculine form is no longer appropriate. The recommendation makes it clear: "The generic masculine form commonly used in German violates the principle of appropriateness by merely 'including' or even associatively excluding women and non-binary people."

Further information

The Diversity Working Group was established by the Rector in 2020 and works cooperatively on diversity issues at TU Dortmund University. In addition to the Rector, it includes experts from all status groups at TU Dortmund University who deal with diversity issues in their work or research. These include the Equal Opportunities Officer and the Head of the Equal Opportunities, Family and Diversity Office as well as representatives from several departments, DoBus, the AStA, the Student Advisory Service, the International Office, the zhb and the administration.

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