IDIOMA E IDENTIDAD DE GÉNERO: IS LIFE SATISFACTION INFLUENCED BY GENDERED LANGUAGE?

Abstract

Gender identity and language are important aspects of every human being’s life. Therefore, it is fair to assume that gender identity and language may directly impact peoples’ well-being (e.g., Life satisfaction). However, identifying as a certain gender (e.g., Male, Female, Genderqueer) is not enough. According to Langer (2011), people need language to communicate and voice their experiences with their gender identity. Without language, people cannot validate themselves nor be validated by others. However, grammar creates an obstacle for non-binary identifying individuals (e.g., Agender, Gender Fluid). There is a lack of language that could potentially help individuals verbalize their experiences as well as facilitate communication with others (Lotsy & O’Connor, 2018). This language absence suggests that despite gender diversity becoming more prevalent in mainstream media (Whyte et al., 2018), there is still a lack of gender-appropriate language for those who identify outside the gender binary to express their gender identity.

Department: Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sean Rogers