My name is Emilia Carter and I am the diversity and inclusion specialist at Diverse Jobs Matter. My work focuses on how language can be mobilised for social inclusion.
Studying BA English Literature and Language at the University of Oxford has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of how our social reality is constructed through language patterns such as conceptual metaphors. It is important to pay attention to the implicit social meanings within our communication to avoid reproducing discrimination.
I decided to redirect my academic studies towards social science and I am currently finishing my master's in Gender, Media, and Culture at LSE. I specialise in approaching gender representations in journalistic media through discourse analysis. My focus is on the way that media construct an unequal social reality through inequitable depiction such as the problematic gendering of sexual assault victims. I also write about these issues in non-academic contexts, publishing articles online. For example, I have investigated the dangerous contradictions of “Gender Critical” ideology.
Studying discourse analysis in a media context has deepened my understanding of how hierarchical structures are reproduced, sometimes involuntarily, through our verbal and written communication. It is therefore crucial, when recruiting a diverse workforce, to invest in inclusive communication. Exclusionary language not only deters people from your company, but it also prevents your employees from feeling welcome and supported in their workplace. Dedicating yourself to using inclusive language in your communication means building trust and improving productivity.
My aim is to deconstruct normative language that holds covert discrimination and help people to write in a way that is inclusive for everybody. It is important to note that discriminatory language is not just constituted by explicit references to groups of people; it can be much more subtle. For example, discrimination can be embedded in the idioms or conceptual metaphors structuring your copy. By investing in discourse analysis, you can attend to the ways in which socially-learned prejudices are reproduced in your communication and learn more about your own unconscious biases.
This entails offering a sensitive editing eye towards gender along with writing content for recruitment purposes, especially job descriptions. Proper selection of words guarantees the elimination of any inadvertent exclusion arising from references to unalterable aspects of a person's identity, like sex, sexual orientation, or even race. Thus, your language is the first thing that prospective employees and clients will notice, so it is essential that, whoever they are, they feel acknowledged.
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By recognising the power of language and embracing inclusive communication, we can create a more equitable and welcoming society. I am Emilia Carter, a diversity and inclusion specialist who is committed to helping individuals and organisations overcome the barriers of discriminatory language in order to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect. We must turn our words into instruments of freedom by encouraging diversity through inclusive communication. For a more inclusive future, please contact me today!