Like inclusive writing, the feminisation of occupations is attempt to promote equality in the french language.
In February 2019, the Académie Française declared that they would adopt the feminisation of occupations to reflect the changed society where women are found in all occupations; they are not only midwifes, nurses and secretaries but also are found in management posts as well. Danièle Sallenave, a member of the association, stated:
“Académie ne fixera pas de normes. Elle va essayer de montrer que nous sommes dans une période de transition, qui fait état de quelque chose d’ancien mais de plus en plus présent: la présence des femmes dans de nombreuses functions, y compris les fonctions les plus élevées. Il est normal que cela se voit dans la langue.”
(The Académie Française will not enforce regulations. It will try to show that we are in a transitory period that refers to something old but that is becoming more and more relevant:the presence of women in numerous occupations, including some that are more senior. It is normal for this to be reflected in the language. )
However, the Académie Française’s choice not to implement rules now means that French people ultimately have the freedom to make up new words or not to change their ways at all. For those who care about the aesthetics of the language, the prospect of ‘you can say what you like’ may cause some problems.
There are some conventions which are relatively straight-forward. For example, ‘femme de ménage’ is converted to ‘homme de ménage’ and ‘sage-femme’ to ‘sage-homme.’ However, some are not particularly clear. For example, does ‘sculpteur’ go to ‘sculpteuse’ or ‘sculptrice’? What about ‘matelot’? ‘Matelote’ or ‘matelotte’?
Overall, I think that the feminisation of occupations is a good thing but until some regulations are implemented, I can’t help but wonder whether a uniform change will ever happen.
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