A university department asked staff to stop using certain words related to gender. It issued a list of replacements for words like 'mother' and 'father'. This is to encourage more gender-neutral language. The list includes the term 'gestational parent' instead of 'mother,' and 'non-birthing parent' in place of 'father'. The department says the words 'mother' and 'father' exclude non-binary people, who identify as being neither male nor female.
The department said using gender terms to describe parenthood excludes those who do not identify as male or female. It said non-gendered language is important in discussions about parenthood. The university said the handbook was just a guide to help with inclusiveness and diversity and not official policy. A UK university asked staff to use the word 'chestfeeding' for 'breastfeeding'.