Sexist Language in Arabic: The Case of Qatar University Academic and Administrative Staff

Abstract

This study discusses the impact of possible sex-based differences in Arabic. It deals with the awareness and recognition of sexist attitudes in Arabic. A special questionnaire was prepared for this purpose. The first part of the questionnaire posits fives questions with answer choices which reflect respondents' attitudes towards Arabic as a sexist language. The second part includes eight statements which are rated on the part of respondents as sexist in certain degrees and whether these statements are appropriate or not. To reach conclusions about the presence of sexism in Arabic, this study refers to the definition of sexism, studies and experiments related to sexist language, sexism in Arabic, and finally a case study about Arabic as a sexist language.