Terry Lynn Irons

The use of derogatory terms in primarily male or female referential ways offers a unique perspective on how male and female gender roles are constructed socially. As reported in her article “Gender-linked Derogatory Terms and Their Use by Women and Men,” Deborah James conducted a study at the University of Toronto to explore the relation between the use of gender-linked derogatory language and masculine and feminine constructs. Specifically, she examines the kinds of words that men and women use to denigrate each other, comparing male and female use of derogatory terms. The study was conducted using a questionnaire methodology, and the sampling was limited to cohort of 125 undergraduate university students, ranging in age from 18 to 30. For 15 terms that had been judged based on participant observation, subjects were asked to indicate familiarity with the term, instant image associated with the term (male/female), typical use of term to refer to males and females, own use to refer to males and females, and whether they would use the term as a friendly or affectionate term of address. She concludes that “there are some indications that some terms are coming to be used by both sexes in a more gender-neutral way that has been the case in the past, and that it is women who are leading in this direction” (1998: 412).
A decade later, this study presents results of a replication of James’ study conducted at a comprehensive regional university in the upper south. The sample includes 378 participants, representing a much greater geographical and age range. In addition to the questions included on the original survey, the survey instrument used for this study asked participants to rate the offensiveness of the term. The results of the present study show an increasing trend toward gender-neutrality in the use of some gender-linked derogatory terms. While the instant image results from the study reveal that men and women agree on the instant image of terms, the present study reveals a semantic shift with respect to the use of the term “douche bag,” from female to male. A not surprising result of the current study is that the three terms rated most offensive—“bitch, “hag,” and “slut”—are female and that the three terms rated least offensive are male—“loser,” “geek”, and “pip-squeak.” Significantly, the current study reveals that the most offensive terms are just as likely if not more likely to be used by women than by men. Additionally the results show an increasing use of highly offensive derogatory terms in a friendly or affectionate manner by both sexes. While these results confirm James’ conclusions that women do not resist using female-referential terms to refer to women and that “women appear…to accept the male-biased construction of femininity expressed through these derogatory terms for women” (1998: 407), reflecting a male-dominated society, women might be influencing change in this pattern.
Reference
James, Deborah. (1998). Gender-linked Derogatory Terms and Their Use by Women and Men. American Speech 73.4: 399-420.